Ukraine used an all-robot force to capture a Russian enemy position, marking the first time in the war such an operation has been successfully executed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday.
Russian troops surrendered their position after Ukraine used only aerial drones and ground robots, Zelensky said during a speech to weapons manufacturers on Ukraine’s Arms Makers’ Day. The development is crucial in a five-year war that some analysts believe could cost 2 million soldiers on both sides of the conflict their lives by the spring’s end.
“The future is already on the front line — and Ukraine is building it. These are our ground robotic systems,” Zelensky said, after Kyiv carried out the mission without putting any infantry at risk. “For the first time in the history of this war, an enemy position was taken exclusively by unmanned platforms — ground systems and drones.”
Ukrainian ground robotic systems have carried out over 22,000 missions since the start of 2026, according to Zelensky, marking a massive increase from just 2,000 missions that Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi last December said Kyiv had carried out in the previous six months.
“In other words, lives were saved more than 22,000 times when a robot went into the most dangerous areas instead of a warrior,” Zelensky said Monday. “This is about high technology protecting the highest value — human life.”
Oleksandr Kamyshin, one of Zelensky’s advisers, said in March that up to 30% of infantry forces could be replaced by unmanned ground vehicles “now.” That number could rise to 80% “over time,” he said.
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“You can argue the numbers or the timeline, but the shift is undeniable,” Kamyshin said in a post to X. “UGVs are a game changer.”
President Donald Trump has sought since the start of his second term in office to end the Ukraine war. Those efforts have thus far been unsuccessful, though top U.S. peace negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could be heading to Ukraine later this month to resume talks.