Zelensky has reported in the last few hours about an unprecedented event in the conflict with Russia. The Ukrainian army managed to take a enemy position using exclusively ground robotic systems and aerial droneswithout the intervention of infantry and without registering its own casualties. According to the president of Ukraine, the Russian soldiers occupying the position chose to surrender to the coordinated action of these unmanned platforms, marking a new turning point in the way military operations on the front are carried out.
The Ukrainian leader has detailed that in the first quarter of 2026, ground robotic systems performed more than 22,000 missions in the line of battle. In other words, these actions are equivalent to thousands of occasions in which a medium replaced a soldier in the most dangerous areas of the conflict, allowing the lives of soldiers not to be risked.
The historic advance of robots and drones
The incorporation of robots on the battlefield has become one of the main axes of Ukraine’s military strategy. The ground systems, controlled remotely by operators, allow assault and rescue maneuvers to be carried out in areas under enemy fire, minimizing the risk for personnel and avoiding casualties.
How to collect Politicalnotable developments include Droid TW-7.62 ground robotequipped with artificial intelligence to detect and track targets autonomously. In January, this system managed to capture three Russian soldiers as prisoners of war, according to the company Devdroid, responsible for its manufacture.
The deployment of these teams is not limited to offensives. They are also used for evacuate wounded fighters in areas where human rescue teams would be vulnerable to drone attacks or enemy fire. This capability has reduced the number of casualties in critical situations and increased the response effectiveness Ukrainians in the face of emergencies on the front line.
The use of unmanned aerial vehicleswhich perform reconnaissance tasks and precision attacks, complements the work of ground robots. Units such as the 65th Mechanized Brigade have incorporated ground combat drones such as the Gnom-2, evaluating their performance both in field tests and in real combat situations.
The future of conflicts
President Zelensky has highlighted that “the future is already on the front lineand Ukraine is building it.” For the president, the introduction of robotic systems marks a fundamental change. “For first time In the history of this war, an enemy position was taken exclusively by unmanned platforms: ground systems and drones. The occupiers surrendered and the operation was carried out without infantry and without casualties on our side,” he said in a message on X.
Zelensky was the one who explained that “Ratel, TermMIT, Ardal, Rys, Zmiy, Protector, Volia and other systems have already carried out more than 22,000 missions in just three months”, highlighting the magnitude of the technological transformation in the conflict. The Ukrainian leader is aware of the competitive advantage they have managed to develop in unmanned weapons systems.
