A Ukraine Ground Robot Confused Russian Troops, Who Fired At Each Other

The Russians are still trying to figure out this whole ground robot thing - and it is not going well for them. JL

Edward Mostly reports in Medium:

A single single ground robot created so much confusion between two Russian positions that the soldiers occupying them spent half a day shooting at each other. The world's most disastrous team-building exercise apparently took place between two Russian tree lines, and the organizer was a Ukrainian robot carrying a machine gun. The Ukrainian machine fired at one Russian position, turned toward another, and fired again. Then the Russians took over. Most workplace misunderstandings are resolved after an awkward conversation with a manager. This one  required half a day and an alarming amount of ammunition. Imagine what the Russian after-action report looked like.

In an interview published on October 23, the commander of the NC13 robotic unit, known by the call sign Makar, described how Ukrainian engineers and soldiers have been experimenting with machines that can perform increasingly complicated battlefield tasks.

The Third Army Corps credits its wider offensive operations with recapturing 16 settlements and 277 square kilometers of territory.

The results aren't solely the work of robots. Ukrainian infantry, artillery, drones and other formations have all contributed.

But among the robotic experiments described during Ukraine's campaign near Lyman, one particular incident stands out for a reason that even the most imaginative military engineer would struggle to explain with a straight face.

According to a Ukrainian military account, a single ground robot managed to create so much confusion between two Russian positions that the soldiers occupying them reportedly spent half a day shooting at each other.

The world's most disastrous team-building exercise apparently took place between two Russian tree lines, and the organizer was a Ukrainian robot carrying a machine gun.

The Ukrainian machine fired at one Russian position, turned toward another, and fired again. Then the Russians reportedly took over.

The incident was described on October 15 by a Ukrainian serviceman with the call sign Disney, who works in the communications department of the Third Separate Assault Brigade.

Yes, Disney.

Which is an unusually appropriate name for the man explaining a military incident that sounds like a rejected episode of Looney Tunes.

The operation had an even more magnificent name.

Vivaldi.

As in Antonio Vivaldi, the Italian composer famous for The Four Seasons.

Vivaldi gave the world Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The Russian army reportedly contributed a fifth season.

Friendly Fire.

The whole misunderstanding began when a Ukrainian operator sent a remotely controlled ground vehicle between two wooded areas occupied by separate Russian units.

The machine carried a machine gun, which is a rather unpleasant accessory for something that otherwise resembles an exceptionally aggressive robotic lawnmower.

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Ukrainian ground robotic complexes have gone from experimental technologies to a full-fledged instrument of war. Photo: 3 AK

Its operator opened fire toward the first Russian position. Then toward the second.

The soldiers in one wooded area assumed that the gunfire coming from the opposite direction meant Ukrainian troops were attacking them. The soldiers in the other wooded area apparently reached a similar conclusion.

And so began an extremely unfortunate exchange of professional opinions, conducted entirely through automatic weapons.

Most workplace misunderstandings are resolved after an awkward conversation with a manager. This one reportedly required half a day and an alarming amount of ammunition.

It's difficult to imagine what the Russian after-action report might have looked like.

Robot was a remotely controlled vehicle carrying a gun. The operator made it fire in two directions.

Ukraine has also been using large aerial drones to transport smaller ground robots into Russian-held territory.

Yes, flying robots delivering driving robots.

The Third Army Corps calls one version of this tactic Griffon.

Large aerial drones carry smaller explosive ground vehicles over dangerous terrain and release them near Russian positions. Once on the ground, the vehicles can travel toward their targets without Ukrainian soldiers having to make the same journey.

It's essentially an aerial delivery service.

Except the package is explosive, the recipient didn't order anything, and the customer support department is probably best left uncontacted.

Their NC13 robotic unit has equipped small ground vehicles with grenade launchers, allowing them to approach enemy positions and provide fire support without exposing soldiers to the same danger.

A robot may not look particularly impressive next to a modern battle tank. But it doesn't need breakfast, doesn't complain about muddy boots and has absolutely no interest in taking annual leave.

Every dangerous operation that can be assigned to an unmanned machine represents a chance to keep Ukrainian soldiers away from the most exposed parts of the battlefield.

Now relatively small unmanned vehicles can create tactical problems entirely out of proportion to their size.

Antonio Vivaldi composed The Four Seasons without ever needing a machine gun.

Three centuries later, Ukraine named a military operation after him, and one of its robots reportedly persuaded Russian soldiers to conduct a half-day percussion performance using live ammunition.

The Italian composer might have appreciated the rhythm.

Although he probably would have recommended a better conductor.