Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that Ukraine had captured a Russian position using a fully unmanned robot ground force.
“For the first time in the history of this war, Ukrainian warriors captured an enemy position using exclusively unmanned platforms,” he said. during a speech to arms manufacturers on the Ukrainian Armourers’ Day.
“The future is here, on the battlefield, and Ukraine is creating it,” he said in a speech video posted on X by a Ukrainian journalist.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky examines the site of a recent battle in Bucha, near Kiev, Ukraine, Monday, April 4, 2022. Russia is facing a new wave of condemnation after evidence emerged of what appeared to be deliberate killings of civilians in Ukraine. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
The offensive, which took place at an unspecified location, was carried out using drones and a grid-based robotic system (GRS), an unmanned defense system.
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Zelenskyy claimed that such autonomous systems have participated in more than 22,000 frontline missions in just three months.
The machines used included the TerMIT, a multi-functional ground robotic system designed to lay mines and provide fire support; the Zmiy, a next-generation armored robotic platform developed for cargo transportation; and the Protector, a heavy unmanned ground system.
A photo of a Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicle taken during the Ukrainian Armourers’ Day (Official website of the President of Ukraine)
FPV training drones are seen on a wall at the Killhouse Academy drone training center on March 4, 2026 in Kiev, Ukraine. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Zelensky also praised his country’s use of drones, an integral part of Ukraine’s war plan.
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“Our missiles, our unmanned systems, our interceptors, attack and naval drones, reconnaissance systems, artillery, our ammunition, armored vehicles, robotic platforms and much more. All of this today is proudly called the weapons of Ukraine,” the president added.
“They defend our airspace, our cities and villages, save lives and prove that ‘Made in Ukraine’ is synonymous with effectiveness and strength,” he concluded.
Experts and commentators pointed to the increasing use of unmanned technology as a turning point in the way wars are fought.
“So if this starts to happen on a large scale – which is the logical conclusion – would this change the nature, not the character, of people at war?” Dr. Patrick Bury, senior professor of warfare and counter-terrorism at the University of Bath, wrote on X.
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“I’m not sure the world is quite ready for ground invasions to be carried out by Black Mirror robot dogs,” wrote Mike Benz, a former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of State. “’Boots on the ground’ will no longer carry the political risk of ‘our boys’ being sent out to fight. The temptation for ground invasions carried out only by robots could be… enormous,” he ended.
Benz’s reference to robot dogs highlights Ukraine’s previous use of autonomous dog-like drones in their ongoing war with Russia.
