Russia and Ukraine’s military-robots force

Since December 13, 2024, it appears that Russia is losing the war in Ukraine, even with the support of North Korean troops in the Kursk region of Russia. Russia has sought military support from North Korea, but Ukraine has countered with advanced tactics, employing remote-controlled vehicles mounted with machine guns and kamikaze drones. Ukraine launched its first robot-only assault on a Russian position, successfully pushing back forces despite being heavily outnumbered.

After nearly three years of war, Ukraine has emerged as a global leader in military robotics. This innovation stems, in part, from desperation—its struggle to recruit enough human soldiers to match Russian forces. Military robots have become crucial on the battlefield, proving their utility and efficiency.

“A spokesperson for the 13th National Guard Brigade explained the significance of these technologies: ‘We are talking about dozens of units of robotic and unmanned equipment simultaneously on a small section of the front.’”

While the robotic advancements are impressive, they also underscore the challenges faced by Ukrainian forces. Unmanned ground vehicles still have profound limitations and cannot fully replace human infantry.

The robotic advantages and limitations

The 13th National Guard Brigade, tasked with defending a five-mile stretch of the front line around Hlyboke (just south of the Ukraine-Russia border), is significantly outnumbered. With around 2,000 troops facing 6,000 Russian soldiers, the manpower disparity is a common theme along the 800-mile front line. Despite suffering twice as many casualties as Ukraine since the conflict began in February 2022, Russia’s troops still outnumber their opponents.

Ukraine’s robotic military operation included remote-controlled flying surveillance and mine-laying drones, explosive ground robots, and gun-armed unmanned vehicles. This marked the world’s first deployment of a fully robotic infantry in combat.

In a precursor to this large-scale assault, a Ukrainian ground robot successfully cleared a Russian trench in Kursk Oblast back in September. While Russia has attempted similar ground-robot assaults, their efforts have been less successful.

Kyiv’s forces used remote-controlled vehicles with machine guns and kamikaze drones in their recent raid near Lyptsi, a Ukrainian-held town. The operation also involved aerial surveillance and mine-laying drones.

Volodymyr Dehtiarov, a representative of Ukraine’s Khartiia Brigade, emphasised the scale of the operation: “We are talking about dozens of units of robotic and unmanned equipment simultaneously on a small section of the front.”