For 1st Time, Ukraine Ground 'Bots, Drones Capture Russian Position Without Troops

For the first time in Ukraine's war against the Russian invasion, ground robots and aerial drones advanced and captured without human infantry a Russian position, forcing the Kremlin troops engaged to surrender. 

Ground robots have now carried out 22,000 missions in the first three months of 2026. As many as 80% of logistics operations are carried out by ground robots in some sectors, with a growing percentage of combat missions now being added. 30% of Ukrainian infantry could be replaced by these bots this year, saving lives and allowing for the redeployment of human troops to other tasks for which they are better suited. JL

Matthew Robinson and Ellie Cook report in Newsweek:

Ukrainian troops have retaken territory from Russia using only unmanned robots for the first time. Russian soldiers "surrendered" when they were met exclusively with ground systems and drones advancing without infantry against Russian forces on the ground. “The occupiers surrendered, and the operation was carried out without infantry and without losses on our side.” Ground robots have carried out over 22,000 frontline missions in the past three months, venturing into the most dangerous clashes in place of Ukrainian soldiers. Ground robots completed more than 9,000 combat and logistics missions on the front line in March alone, an increase from under 3,000 in November. 30% of Ukraine's infantry could be immediately replaced by UGVs. This could surge to 80% in the future. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv's troops have retaken territory from Russia using only unmanned robots for the first time.

Zelensky said that Russian soldiers "surrendered" when they were met exclusively with ground systems and drones, Ukraine advancing without infantry troops battling Russian forces on the ground. 

The Ukrainian leader did not say where the advance took place.

The more than four years of war in Ukraine have been a crucible for drone development. Other militaries across the world have closely watched Russia and Ukraine jostle in the race to deploy constantly upgraded airborne and underwater unmanned systems, as well as robots which travel by land.

Left: President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week. Right: Ground robotic systems used by the Ukrainian military. | Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV/AFP/Getty Images/Volodymyr Zelensky/X

While Ukraine's flying drones and explosive-laden uncrewed boats are well known, Kyiv's growing fleet of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) attract far less attention. 

These robots are designed to keep human beings away from danger and perform all kinds of tasks, from evacuating injured soldiers to minelaying or hurtling toward a target and detonating.

No Ukrainian troops were killed in the advance, Zelensky said on Monday. 

Ground robots have carried out over 22,000 frontline missions in the past three months, the Ukrainian president added, the drones venturing into the most dangerous clashes in place of Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukraine's defense ministry had said earlier this month ground robots completed more than 9,000 combat and logistics missions on the front line in March alone, an increase from under 3,000 in November. 

"This is about high technology protecting the highest value —human life," he added in a post to social media.

Up to 30 percent of Ukraine's infantry forces could be immediately replaced by UGVs, Alexander Kamyshin, one of Zelensky's advisers, who previously headed up Kyiv's strategic industries ministry, said last month. This could surge to 80 percent further down the line, Kamyshin said.

"You can argue the numbers or the timeline, but the shift is undeniable," he added. "UGVs are a game changer." 

A Ukrainian commander said in February that ground robots already provided nearly three-quarters of logistics missions around the bombarded frontline city of Kostyantynivka, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. 

Russian forces now attack routes used by ground robots, attempting to blow up the UGVs with mines and airborne drones, Anatoly Kulykivskyi, who heads up Ukraine's 28th Brigade, told Ukrainian media.

One Ukrainian ground drone manufacturer said in January its robot had captured Russian troops as prisoners of war, publishing footage purporting to show the three Russian soldiers discarding their equipment and lying down around the UGV.