Bots on the ground How Ukrainian soldiers are bringing combat robots to the battlefield
Ukrainian brigades on the front lines are increasingly using robots in combat. These ground-based unmanned systems can support infantry with firepower, lay mines, transport ammunition to positions, and even evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield. A month ago, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that the country’s military was developing such systems. According to him, these ground drones have already proven their effectiveness in combat. Journalist Oleksiy Prodayvoda, a correspondent for Current Time, visited positions of Ukraine’s 5th Separate Assault Brigade near Donetsk to see how soldiers are using them on the battlefield. Meduza shares an English-language retelling of his reporting.
In a makeshift workshop, the commander of a Ukrainian ground drone unit, who goes by the call sign “Agronom,” and his fellow soldier, “Moped,” are fine-tuning their combat robots.
They pull up footage from a recent battle. A ground drone from Ukraine’s 5th Brigade maneuvers past wrecked armored vehicles scattered along a road before suddenly attacking Russian positions. Overhead, an aerial drone guides its fire.
“The enemy couldn’t understand what had shown up or where the shots were coming from,” Agronom recalls. “The drone is about the size of an ATV, and you can only hear it when it’s within 30 meters [about 100 feet]. We would quietly roll into the gray zone and open fire on their positions.”
Moped introduces another upgraded battle robot: “This one will be equipped with turrets.” The system, he explains, is designed to mount machine guns or small-caliber automatic cannons. “We’ve built a new frame, moved the camera here so we can monitor the sides and the payload. We’re also adding a thermal imaging camera so it can navigate the terrain at night.”
Next, he unveils a tracked version of the drone. “This one moves more smoothly than a wheeled model, so it can be used to evacuate wounded soldiers.” These robots allow soldiers to avoid exposing themselves to enemy fire during rescue operations. Because they are remotely controlled, they can be operated from a relatively safe distance.
“For example, if there’s someone in a trench with a wounded soldier, they can load them onto the machine, and we can get them out without [putting more people at risk],” Moped explains.
Operating these ground drones isn’t overly complicated — it just takes some practice with the controls. But right now, most of the team’s attention is focused on improving a small kamikaze drone. The standard model, they say, isn’t quite suited for battlefield conditions. The team wants to reinforce its mobility system and increase its payload capacity.
“The max it can carry is 10 kilograms [22 pounds]; it struggles with anything more because the wheels are too weak,” Moped says.
“We don’t need a drone that just spins in place really well,” Agronom emphasizes. “What if it hits a big branch or a chunk of concrete in combat? It needs to bounce over it and keep going. I’d rather it turn a little slower but be reliable — so it won’t flip over in the middle of a mission.”
The team repeatedly disassembles and reassembles the robot, testing it in field conditions after each iteration. After several rounds of adjustments, the kamikaze drone is nearly combat-ready. But the soldiers say there’s still work to be done.
“It moves a little better now. In places where it used to flip over, it stays upright, and it handles sharp obstacles a bit more smoothly,” explains Agronom. “But there are still issues with power. We’ve improved its mobility, but it still doesn’t have enough force behind it.”
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For now, Ukraine’s forces aren’t using ground drones as widely as naval ones — and not nearly as extensively as aerial drones. But soldiers insist that these rugged, all-terrain robots have distinct advantages on the battlefield.
“They can be deployed at any time of day and in any weather. That’s their biggest advantage over aerial drones,” Agronom says. Aerial drones don’t perform well in low light and can’t fly in the rain. “Then there’s electronic warfare. Jamming systems can turn on and off in 15-minute intervals. If we lose connection with a ground drone for 15 minutes, we can just wait it out. Once the jamming stops, we move on. But an aerial drone? If it loses connection, it crashes or drifts off course. And that’s it — it’s gone.”
The soldiers say the field of combat robotics is evolving so rapidly that within six months to a year, the landscape of unmanned warfare could look entirely different. The only question is which side will be able to adapt to the new technology faster.