“ChatGPT Alternative”: Ukrainian Troops Develop Marichka AI System for Battlefield Planning

The Central Research Institute of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has presented Marichka, an AI-powered decision support system.

Yurii Kliat, the institute’s head, announced during a briefing, according to Suspilne.

The system is designed to help military unit commanders make decisions more quickly during operational planning.

According to Kliat, brigade and regiment commanders currently spend 6 to 12 hours making planning decisions, reviewing approximately 20 documents in the process. Marichka is expected to reduce this process to just a few minutes.

Kliat explained that the system operates on principles similar to ChatGPT: it centrally collects and analyzes information, assesses the balance of combat capabilities, and generates possible courses of action. The final decision, however, remains with the commander.

The system is designed to collect, process, and verify data, automatically calculate the balance of forces and assets, assess required resources and potential losses, and model the operational environment on an interactive map while providing real-time updates as conditions change.

The name Marichka was chosen after the Ukrainian female given name. According to institute representatives, the system successfully completed testing using simulated data.

The developers are currently continuing system testing and neural network training, while also working to secure data transmission channels and integrate documents classified as “For Official Use Only” and “Secret.” The next stage will focus on handling information with higher levels of classification.

Marichka is expected to improve the effectiveness of commanders and command posts at the brigade, army corps, and operational group of forces levels. Its technical specifications have not been disclosed for security reasons.

Brigadier General Andrii Lebedenko, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that AI technologies are already incorporated into drones and the command-and-control systems of certain weapon platforms.

He noted that the new neural network will help accelerate information processing, command and control, and battlefield decision-making.

In May, Lebedenko said the Armed Forces of Ukraine had begun integrating AI agents into military command-and-control systems to speed up the processing of large volumes of data, including assessments of enemy forces and friendly force capabilities.