'UGVs are the new future of warfare' Inside the Ukrainian unit set to become the world's first military brigade where robots outnumber human soldiers

Date:
Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:20:00 +0000

Description:
Ukraine increasingly uses ground robots for combat and logistics, reducing infantry exposure while transforming battlefield operations and tactical approaches significantly.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Ukraine deploys robotic units
to reduce frontline soldier exposure Ground robots now handle logistics and combat battlefield roles Commanders see machines replacing nearly a third of the infantry More than four years into this grinding war, remote-controlled ground robots are fundamentally reshaping the battlefield.

Ukrainian commanders and engineers now assert that unmanned ground vehicles represent the next major phase of modern combat. The future of warfare has already arrived, they argue, and it moves on tracks rather than legs. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: You may like US Army robots (and AI) look to play a critical role in getting wounded soldiers off the battlefield
Robots are fighting wars and helping to quash riots China is arming riot police with squads of AI controlled drones and Ukraine wants to man the frontlines with 25,000 robots Ukraine becomes the first country to scale long-distance remote-controlled interceptor drones A unit built around machines rather than men Ukraines 3rd Separate Assault Brigade intends to replace roughly 30% of its infantry with Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs).

The logic is simple: where the risk to a human is high, a robot should be used. Because the life of an infantryman is priceless, and robots dont bleed, Mykola Zinkevych, commander of the NC13 Strike UGV Unit.

Were working toward a model where UGVs take on the most dangerous tasks,
while infantry becomes a highly specialised force focused on what UGVs cannot perform.

His unit now claims to be the worlds first strike UGV formation operating without any existing military doctrine. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me
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Last year in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Ukrainian forces executed a mission using only drones and ground robots.

President Volodymyr Zelensky described how Russian occupiers surrendered during an operation that involved no infantry on the advance.

The occupiers surrendered, and the operation was carried out without infantry and without losses on our side, he claimed. What to read next Ukraine preps drone-killing laser which can destroy targets 3 miles away 'The second life
of drones': Why thousands of UAVs in Ukraine have stopped working, how a team of 'craftsmen' is fixing 24,000 obsolete drones every year, and what it means for the future of the drone industry Gartner: Robots to lead operations in half of new warehouses by 2030 Logistics and firepower transformed A modern infantryman can carry roughly 20kg of gear over distance, but logistics UGVs transport 200 to 600kg to frontline positions.

These machines deliver critical supplies, evacuate wounded troops, hold territorial positions, and destroy enemy shelters.

According to Ukraines military chiefs, the growing use of UGVs has already eased the infantrys burden significantly.

Its easier to control an area for 24 hours when you are sitting in a safe
zone 50km from the UGV, and you can swap with your team and another guy does it, says Oleg Fedoryshyn, head of research and design at DevDroid.

The average UGV costs the Ukrainian military about $30,000, rising to $50,000 with a Browning machine gun mounted on top.

Commander Zinkevych estimates that his unit has carried out more than 100 strike operations using UGVs in recent months

During these missions, weve destroyed enemy troops, shelters, command posts, and other high-value targets, he says

Yet he warns that slowing the pace of development is something Ukraine simply cannot allow.

Around 10 to 15% of deployed robots are lost in battle, though many are later repaired and returned to service.

Ukrainian forces celebrate these machines as life-saving innovations, but there are concerns that remote warfare may unnecessarily aggravate the extent of the war.

Where we have an instrument that serves toward the application of force, operated from a distance, there is a risk that the threshold to use force becomes lowered, explained Professor Elke Schwarz, expert in military technologies at Queen Mary University.

... and civilian populations are potentially at risk of bearing the brunt of the use of force.

However, she concludes that Kyiv develops these tactics out of sheer
necessity against an existential threat.

Whether robots ultimately spare lives or simply make war more sustainable remains an open question.

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