Ukraine’s Robots Revolutionize Battlefield in War Against Russia

Published: 4 April 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Victor Pavlov showed off Ukraine’s newest and most versatile weapon: a battery-powered land robot.

The unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) come in various forms: one runs on caterpillar tracks and resembles a roofless milk float, another has wheels and antennas, while a third carries anti-tank mines. Since spring 2024, their use has grown exponentially.

“This is what modern warfare looks like. Armies everywhere will have to robotise,” said Pavlov, a lieutenant with Ukraine’s 3rd army corps.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year, has transformed the battlefield into a technological contest. The war is increasingly fought with cheap, expendable drones and robots rather than traditional tanks.

Ukraine’s expertise in drones has become highly sought after internationally. Last week, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed 10-year defence agreements with Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, providing low-cost Ukrainian interceptors capable of shooting down long-range Shahed drones.

Kyiv has become a centre for unmanned weapons development. Engineers design new products, frontline soldiers give immediate feedback, and manufacturers scale up production, including ground vehicles, anti-Shahed interceptors, and pioneering sea drones.

Land robots now account for 90% of Ukrainian army logistics. Pavlov explained, “It’s very difficult to move around because of enemy first-person-view drones. So we use robotic systems.” In January, Ukraine conducted 7,000 operations using UGVs.

Robots are increasingly replacing human infantry in combat, equipped with remote-controlled machine guns and grenade launchers. One DevDroid TW 12.7 defended a position for 45 days, while a kamikaze robot last summer carried 200kg of explosives 20km to destroy a Russian-occupied school.

“It’s not Star Wars, where there are lasers. The frontline is more like Terminator,” said Bambi, a drone operator. “You can shoot a person and they stop firing. If you shoot a robot, it doesn’t feel pain. Someone is looking at a screen and will fire back.”

Land drones also deliver supplies, build shelters, and evacuate wounded soldiers. A robot can operate for eight hours and is smaller and less visible than traditional armoured vehicles, which are easily targeted by enemy drones.

Since December 2025, robots have brought provisions to Ukrainian soldiers near Pokrovsk, the site of intense fighting. “One rolled up to our dugout. I felt like a caveman gazing at alien technology,” said Bambi.

UGVs also perform engineering tasks: mining, demining, laying barbed wire, towing damaged vehicles, and retrieving wrecks. Pavlov noted an attrition rate of about three robots per day due to Russian attacks but emphasized, “This is a small price to pay when we are saving infantry lives.”

Ukraine’s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, praised the rapid expansion of robotic operations, including casualty evacuations in high-risk areas, previously impossible without risking human life.

For the first time in warfare history, Russian soldiers surrendered to an armed ground robot last summer. Ukraine’s 3rd army corps deployed robots to retake the area successfully.

The KillHouse academy trains UGV pilots. Soldiers practice driving over snow and swamp terrain, simulating combat scenarios. Oleksandr, instructor “Barman,” explained that former gamers adapt quickly to operating robots, proving more effective than ordinary servicemen.

Russia also uses ground systems, such as the “Courier” EV, capable of transporting 250kg and conducting electronic warfare. However, Ukraine currently has the upper hand in ground robot technology. Pavlov said, “We have more systems than Russia. The priority is to scale them up.”

Despite Russia occupying about 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea, Ukraine has reclaimed roughly 300 sq km in southern Zaporizhzhia oblast. Andriy Biletsky, 3rd Corps commander, said new tactical approaches and robotic systems could determine the war’s ultimate outcome.

“Ground-based robotic systems will radically change the battlefield and replace a significant share of soldiers in logistics and combat,” he added.