Ukraine is taking steps to boost its rapidly growing arsenal of war robots, including buying thousands of new ones and pushing to turn over 100% of front-line logistics to robotic systems.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced changes to boost the production of ground robots, also known as unmanned ground vehicles, which already help Ukrainian troops carry gear, lay mines, evacuate the wounded, and attack Russian positions.
He said that due to increased demand, Ukraine will contract 25,000 new robots in the first half of this year, double last year’s total.
A key goal, he said, is for 100% of its front-line logistics to be performed by these robots. That would keep the vulnerable soldiers and vehicles making dangerous supply runs out of harm’s way.
Soldiers have detailed their impact. Oleksandr Yabchanka, the head of robotic systems for Ukraine’s Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, previously told Business Insider that one average-sized war robot can carry more than roughly 10 servicemen can.
Fedorov called the robots “one of the most dynamic areas of defense tech” and said that more than 280 companies are working in the space in Ukraine. 280 companies are working in the space in Ukraine.
Ground robots have been important for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion because, like aerial drones, they replace soldiers in dangerous roles, which is critical for a smaller force like Ukraine’s that can’t afford to waste manpower resources.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared last week that Ukraine’s ground robot force had carried out more than 22,000 missions on the front lines over the previous three months, saying that means “lives were saved more than 22,000 times when a robot went into the most dangerous areas instead of a warrior.”
The president’s comments also revealed a big jump in the robots’ overall usage. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, said in December that over the previous six months, Ukraine’s ground robots had carried out only 2,000 missions. Then, in half the time, that figure grew to 10 times that.
Fedorov also revealed a substantial increase in battlefield usage. He shared that more than 9,000 missions were carried out with ground robots in March, demonstrating how central these assets are becoming to Ukrainian operations.
The robots are performing new types of missions. Units and manufacturers say Russian robots have surrendered to them, and Zelenskyy said they were used to take a Russian position by only using unmanned platforms for the first time in this war.
“The future is already on the front line — and Ukraine is building it,” he said.
Ground robots have been used in other conflicts, including by Western militaries, but not to this extent. The West has been paying close attention, increasingly interested in adapting the technology further for NATO militaries.
Fedorov said that as part of the new efforts, Ukraine’s Agency for Defense Procurement has so far concluded 19 contracts worth around $250 million with manufacturers. He said he met with ground robot manufacturers to accelerate supply, and they identified key challenges, including scaling production and integrating them into combat operations.
He listed new policy changes to allow acceleration, including the defense procurement agency speeding up the conclusion of contracts at the ministry of defense’s request, changing how contracts work so manufacturers will have contracts for next year this year, and creating a new center for manufacturers.
And at the same time, he said, Ukraine is also boosting the production of other components and accessories that make ground robots effective, like weaponry that attaches to them and parts that let them mine and de-mine.
Fedorov said the focus is on cheap and effective systems. Partner nations are watching that shift toward mass, low-cost weapons over smaller numbers of advanced systems.
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