Robert Yosypovych Brovdi (; ; born 9 August 1975), commonly known by his call sign Magyar ( from ), is a Ukrainian serviceman, a major in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, known as the founder and commander of the "Magyar's Birds" unit (). He is a Hero of Ukraine (2025) and Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (since 3 June 2025).
He is one of the commanders who systematically introduced the use of FPV drones as a strike weapon in the Russo-Ukrainian War. The unit under his command was among the first in the Armed Forces of Ukraine to systematically employ FPV drones as a strike weapon, while reconnaissance UAVs were used to direct artillery fire. After his appointment as commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces in June 2025, Brovdi continued to roll out these approaches at the level of the branch of service. Before the full-scale invasion, he was in business in the field of grain trading, was associated with the "Granum" project, and co-founded the "BrovdiArt" art foundation.
Biography
Civilian life Robert Brovdi was born on 9 August 1975 in Uzhhorod, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine. He is an ethnic Hungarian.
In 1997 he graduated from Uzhhorod National University with a degree in "Enterprise Economics". From 1998 he engaged in entrepreneurial activity, first in retail trade, then in real estate. He worked in the construction business and was one of the main developers in Uzhhorod.
Brovdi's businesses: "Market-BK" (real estate operations), "Imperia Food" (food trade), and "Scotch & Soda Ukraine" (clothing trade). He worked as general director of the Agrarian Exchange of Ukraine at the Ministry of Agrarian Policy. From autumn 2010 to May 2012 he was general director of the company "Khlib Investbud". From May 2012 to 31 January 2013 he held the post of commercial director of "Khlib Investbud". From 2013 he held the post of deputy head of management of the "State Food and Grain Corporation of Ukraine" (SFGCU). On 1 July 2014 he was dismissed from the post of first deputy chairman of the board of the SFGCU.
The "Granum" group of companies, of which Robert Brovdi was a co-founder, was among the top five exporters of grain from Ukraine to more than 20 countries. In 2015–2016 "Granum" was the No. 1 grain exporter from Ukraine to China. From 2017 Robert Brovdi was engaged in expanding development projects, which were suspended at the start of the full-scale invasion: he "handed them over to partners and went to war". He is a collector and connoisseur of classical Transcarpathian art and contemporary Ukrainian art, and the founder of the "BrovdiArt" Foundation, which promotes contemporary Ukrainian art around the world. Works from the foundation's collection have repeatedly been exhibited in European museums. Together with the "Abramovich Art" foundation, it published books and albums on contemporary Ukrainian art, took part in exhibitions, and held international competitions for young artists. The foundation's activity was suspended at the moment of the full-scale invasion.
Military activity
Start of service and the creation of "Magyar's Birds" On 7 February 2022 he enlisted in the Obolon Territorial Defense. He was a platoon commander in the second assault company of the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion, subordinated to the 28th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He has been in the ranks of the Armed Forces since 24 February 2022 as part of the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion. With the 206th Battalion he took part in evacuating people from Irpin, Bucha, and Borodianka.
In early April 2022 his rifle platoon of the 2nd assault company of the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion was sent to the front line on the Kherson axis under the subordination of the 28th Mechanized Brigade. During this period the unit began carrying out tasks involving unmanned systems, in particular conducting reconnaissance of the line of contact.
In May–June of that year, Brovdi created a separate unit of aerial reconnaissance specialists, "Magyar's Birds", with a strength of 26 people. Until November 2022 the unit carried out aerial reconnaissance tasks, in particular detecting enemy forces, patrolling the front line, directing fire, using kamikaze drones, and dropping explosive devices from UAVs. In August 2022 the unit assembled one of the first FPV drones, after which it began experimental use of strike UAVs to engage enemy personnel and equipment. A crew-training group was also formed and the first training sessions were conducted near the line of contact.
In November 2022, after taking part in the Ukrainian counteroffensive on the Kherson axis and the liberation of Kherson, the unit, as part of a separate company tactical group, was redeployed to the Bakhmut axis, where it began participating in defensive battles.
Combat operations and unit development in 2023–2024 The "Magyar's Birds" unit, as part of the 251st Territorial Defense Battalion that was operationally subordinated to the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Grouping, carried out aerial reconnaissance and artillery-direction tasks for the 45th and 3rd brigades of the National Guard of Ukraine, the 26th, 55th, 43rd, and 44th artillery brigades, the "Adam" tactical group, and the 24th Mechanized Brigade. It took part in the battles for Bakhmut, Soledar, Blahodatne, Krasna Hora, Paraskoviivka, Berkhivka, Opytne, Klishchiivka, Kurdiumivka, and Ozarianivka in 2022–2023. The unit also carried out tasks supporting assault actions in the area of Opytne and Bakhmut, and took part in prisoner-exchange operations in 2023. During this period the unit used FPV drones for 110 days to counter the enemy's assault actions, and refined tactics of cooperation between ground and air groups.
In March 2023 the "Magyar's Birds" company tactical group was reorganized into a separate strike unmanned aerial systems company of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This marked the beginning of the unit's structural integration into the combat formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In early March 2023 the unit received an order to withdraw from the Bakhmut area and move to new positions. From 5 March to 11 June 2023, Brovdi, as commander of the "Magyar's Birds" strike UAV company, took part in battles on the Donetsk axis, in particular in the areas of Pervomaiske, Avdiivka, Staromykhailivka/Krasnohorivka, and Marinka. The unit carried out aerial reconnaissance, employed strike UAVs and FPV drones, patrolled the line of contact, and used strike UAVs in the areas of Donetsk, Pisky, Lozove, and Yasynuvata.
From 13 June to 1 October 2023 he took part in the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive as commander of the "Magyar's Birds" strike UAV company under the subordination of the "Donetsk" operational-tactical grouping. Tasks included engaging targets, aerial reconnaissance, remote mining, fire direction, as well as electronic warfare and signals intelligence for the 37th, 35th, 38th, and 36th separate marine brigades. The fighting took place, in particular, for Urozhaine and Staromaiorske. For the first time, a report was published on the results of the "Magyar's Birds" unit during the counteroffensive period (from 13 June to 30 September 2023), in which 514 enemy targets were struck over the 110 days of the phase, of which 309 were destroyed.
From 3 October 2023 to 31 July 2024, Brovdi, together with the "Magyar's Birds" strike UAV company, which was operationally subordinated to the Marine Corps Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, took part in the counteroffensive on the left bank of the Dnieper, in particular in the area of Krynky. During the period October 2023 – January 2024 the unit struck 764 pieces of enemy equipment, of which 273 were destroyed. In parallel, a project in the field of signals intelligence (SIGINT) and electronic warfare (EW) was launched. During the period October 2023 – July 2024, on the southern axis, in particular on the left-bank Dnieper bridgehead, the unit, in cooperation with marine units, detected 10,800 enemy FPV drones, of which 7,800 (about 72%) were suppressed. The project also involved training crews and disseminating the relevant practices among units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other components of Ukraine's defence forces. The operation of devices that intercepted video signals from FPV drones made it possible to identify their launch points and locate operators' positions. During operations on the left bank of the Dnieper in the Krynky area, the unit remotely laid about 3,500 anti-tank mines, produced by the unit's "Tsukrarnia" workshop, using UAVs across a sector of about 72.5 km².
From 16 January 2024 the "Magyar's Birds" separate strike UAV company was reorganized into a separate military unit – the 414th Separate Strike Unmanned Aerial Systems Battalion of the Marine Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Brovdi became commander of the battalion. According to Focus, "Magyar's Birds" became the first separate unmanned aerial systems unit within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Alongside combat tasks, the unit developed repair, training, and support directions, and recruited specialists in various fields.
During the unit's expansion, Brovdi used an approach that he called, in public statements, "competent mobilization". It envisaged selecting servicemembers based on their professional skills, technical experience, and suitability for specialized tasks. The approach involved matching a specialist to the unit's needs, shortening the time between mobilization and task performance, and separating combat, technical, and analytical functions. Brovdi noted that such an approach ensures the unit's effectiveness through the quality of training and the targeted deployment of servicemembers, rather than through increasing numbers.
From 28 May to 17 July 2024, the "Magyar's Birds" unit, under the command of Brovdi, carried out combat tasks on the Kharkiv axis, to reinforce the Vovchansk formation and the 13th "Khartiia" Brigade on the Lyptsi axis.
On 27 June 2024 the 414th Separate Strike Unmanned Aerial Systems Battalion "Magyar's Birds" was reorganized into the 414th Separate Strike Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment of the Marine Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Brovdi continued to command the unit. After the announcement of the regiment's creation, an expansion of recruitment to the unit was reported, including for various specialties for civilians. According to Ukrinform, more than a thousand applications were submitted within the first day. In parallel, internal support units were formed, in particular a UAV repair base, training and combat units, and electronic warfare (EW) and signals intelligence (SIGINT) directions.
In comments to the media, Brovdi consistently emphasized the importance of striking enemy personnel as one of the key factors affecting the course of combat. He compared the rate of the enemy's reinforcements with their losses. By his estimates, Russia transferred around 30,000–35,000 servicemembers to the front each month, in connection with which he stressed the need to reach a level of attrition that would balance the inflow and the losses.
From 21 July 2024, Brovdi and the 414th Separate Strike UAS Regiment "Magyar's Birds" carried out combat tasks on the Pokrovsk axis. On this axis a counter-UAV system known as the "Pokrovsk Dome" was deployed. According to the unit itself, during the period from July 2024 to April 2026, more than 480,000 combat sorties were carried out, more than 136,000 targets were struck, of which more than 58,000 were destroyed. The unit also reported striking more than 44,000 enemy servicemembers. From August 2024 to February 2025, and again in March–August 2025, the unit took part in combat in the territory of Kursk Oblast and Belgorod Oblast of the Russian Federation. In addition, from November 2024 the unit operated on a section of the front near Vuhledar.