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More than four years into its war with Russia, Ukraine is increasingly relying on ground robots, autonomous systems, and AI-powered drones to hold territory, strike enemy positions, move supplies, and evacuate the wounded.
The shift comes as both sides continue to absorb heavy losses, but Ukraine’s smaller population and ongoing manpower challenges have pushed Kyiv to accelerate the use of unmanned systems across the battlefield.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, unmanned machines conducted more than 22,000 missions between January and April. In April, he announced what Ukraine described as the first successful capture of a Russian position carried out entirely by drones and robots.
“The occupiers surrendered, and the operation was carried out without infantry and without losses on our side,” Zelenskyy wrote on X in April. Military analysts say the development marks a significant evolution in the conflict, with robots increasingly taking over roles once performed by infantry units.
Ground robots move from support roles to frontline combat
What began as an effort to reduce casualties has expanded into a strategy that places robots at the center of battlefield operations.
CNN reported that specialized units now direct attacks remotely, operating explosive-laden ground robots from command centers located miles away from the fighting. Ukrainian commanders estimate that one unit’s robot operations achieved the same effect as thousands of soldiers would have produced in conventional assaults while avoiding heavy casualties.
“I couldn’t even imagine such a thing, back then. But I realize that if such equipment had been available at the time… more of my comrades would have survived,” said Bar, deputy commander of the Third Assault Brigade’s NC13 unit, according to CNN.
The machines now perform a growing range of tasks. Some carry explosives into enemy positions. Others transport ammunition, deliver food and water, evacuate casualties, or provide direct fire support using mounted weapons.
Among the systems reported in use are the Droid TW 12.7, equipped with a heavy machine gun, and the Droid NW 40, which carries a grenade launcher capable of engaging targets from more than a kilometer away, according to The National.
“What is really interesting is the impact that we're now seeing of track or tractor-wheeled killer robots,” said former military intelligence officer Dr. Lynette Nusbacher, according to The National. “If Ukraine were able to deploy them at range, operating autonomously in large numbers, then they could unleash swarms of drones, and that could break the stalemate.”
Can robots change the course of the conflict?
Analysts remain divided on how decisive the technology will ultimately prove. Former British soldier and lawmaker Bob Seely said, according to The National, that drone-based defensive tactics are increasingly replacing traditional trench warfare.
“If the Russians attack, they're not being repelled by humans but by air and ground drones collectively and this form of warfare is really beginning to take off this year,” he said.
Former diplomat Tim Willasey-Wilsey argued that robotic systems are helping Ukraine reduce one of Russia’s traditional advantages: manpower.
“A year ago we used to say the reason why Russia is probably going to overall win this war is because they've got more people to throw into the meat grinder. Well, Ukraine isn't throwing people into the meat grinder any more,” Willasey-Wilsey said.
Others caution that Russia has repeatedly adapted to new battlefield conditions and may eventually respond to Ukraine’s technological gains with innovations of its own.
One conclusion is becoming harder to ignore: the war is increasingly becoming a testing ground for a new era of warfare where software, autonomy, and machines carry out tasks once reserved for soldiers.