Ukraine is increasingly using ground drones on the battlefield in an attempt to compensate for personnel shortages and reduce military casualties. This is according to a Reuters report, whose authors visited a Ukrainian unit specializing in the use of ground robotic systems.
Journalists report on the work of Ukrainian military mechanics near the front in northeastern Ukraine, preparing four-wheeled vehicles known as "Hyenas" for combat missions. These vehicles can deliver explosives to Russian positions, attack shelters, or halt enemy advances. According to one mechanic, similar robotic platforms have already been used to capture Russian prisoners of war. Reuters notes that similar workshops have sprung up in various areas along the roughly 1,200-kilometer front. Ukrainian units, facing a shortage of personnel, are attempting to gain a technological advantage by increasingly outsourcing dangerous tasks to robots.
It's not just about combat vehicles. Ground drones transport ammunition and supplies, evacuate the wounded, and operate in areas where the battlefield is densely populated with drones, making human movement dangerous. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, these systems have completed over 50,000 logistics and evacuation missions this year alone.
Reuters is focusing on the Third Army Corps, which is seeking to expand its use of ground drones. Its commander, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, calls the gradual replacement of infantry with ground robots the next "revolution" in warfare. By the end of the year, the corps plans to replace about a third of its frontline troops with robotic systems.
"If the West truly wants to not just keep up with the times, but be a little ahead of them, it needs to think about the next revolution," Biletsky said.
At the same time, the publication notes, ground drones cannot yet fully replace infantry. They have difficulty overcoming physical obstacles, are unable to independently clear buildings or trenches, and their production is not yet large enough to carry out the same massive attacks as aerial drones.
Nevertheless, Ukrainian commanders see them as a way to relieve personnel from the most dangerous work. At the NC13 unit visited by Reuters in the Kharkiv region, ground vehicles already regularly operate in conjunction with attack drones. Operators control them from a command center, monitoring the battlefield through screens.
According to Biletsky, the proliferation of robotic systems could also change the tactics of commanders, allowing them to conduct risky operations more frequently without the risk of significant human losses.
Source: Kanal13
