Ukraine developing game-changing alternative to infantry in war against Russia, CNN reports
Photo: Ukraine is preparing a revolutionary replacement for infantry in the war against Russia (Getty Images)
Ukraine is increasingly using robotic technologies on the battlefield. Thanks to ground drones and UAVs, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are already able to assault positions and capture prisoners without a single shot from infantry, CNN reports.
According to Mykola "Makar" Zinkevych, commander of the NC13 unit of the 3rd Assault Brigade, an operation last summer marked the first-ever case in which an enemy position was stormed, and ground robots and drones took prisoners without any infantry involvement.
"We must understand that we will never have more personnel, and we will never have a numerical advantage over the enemy. So, we need to achieve this advantage through technology," he said.
Ground drones have already become a routine tool for assault units. One such machine gun–equipped robot managed to hold off Russian advances for 45 days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the scale of the process, saying that in just the past three months, robots and drones have carried out more than 22,000 missions.
"Lives were saved more than 22,000 times when a robot went into the most dangerous areas instead of a warrior," the President said.
The Ministry of Defense is advancing a new strategy developed with the involvement of Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. It calls for creating a kill zone 15–20 km deep along the front, with full automation of logistics and combat operations.
However, despite the progress, the military remains cautious about the full-scale deployment of artificial intelligence.
"The final decision must always be made by a human. Would you entrust weapons to artificial intelligence? How can we be sure it will be able to distinguish a friend from a foe?" the commander added.
The overall direction, however, remains unchanged: machines are meant to replace people wherever possible.
"Human life is priceless, whereas robots do not bleed," Zinkevych emphasized.
Remote drones
In recent months, ground-based robotic systems have been actively used on the front lines in Ukraine. They are the result of roughly two years of work by the Brave1 defense cluster, which focuses on developing military technologies.
Earlier, Mykhailo Fedorov said one of the successful examples of such developments is the Ratel H robot — a versatile platform capable of carrying out dangerous tasks instead of soldiers. He also shared video footage of the system in action.
In addition, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has approved the use in combat of the Khyzhyi Ptakh (Bird of Prey) unmanned aerial system — a new Ukrainian drone platform.
It has also been reported that the Defense Ministry has codified and cleared for operational use within the Armed Forces of Ukraine the Liut ground robotic system.
