With the Russo-Ukrainian War in its fourth year, both sides are dealing with critical troop shortages, and Ukrainian officials think they\u2019ve found a solution. The country has started using remotely controlled robots in combat to account for these shortages and also reduce casualties. But some experts are also downplaying the effect these robots could have on the war.<\/p>\n
\u2018Seize Russian positions solely with automated weapons\u2019<\/p>\n The robots, which often feature mounted machine guns, can \u201chelp Ukrainian troops carry gear, lay mines, evacuate the wounded and attack Russian positions,\u201d said Business Insider<\/a>. At least 280 companies are working to develop these robots, many of which are used to transport ordnance because they can \u201ccarry more than roughly 10 servicemen can,\u201d Oleksandr Yabchanka, the head of robotic systems for Ukraine\u2019s Da Vinci Wolves army regiment, told Business Insider.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The robots are a key part of Ukraine\u2019s fight<\/a> because of their offensive capabilities. One video during combat, filmed last summer, showed several Ukrainian robots that \u201ceach carried 66 pounds of explosives,\u201d said The New York Times<\/a>. One of these robots drove into a Russian stronghold and \u201cblew itself up, while the others held back, monitoring the position.\u201d Several Russian soldiers surrendered, and these kinds of attacks show \u201cthat the Ukrainian military can now seize Russian positions solely with automated weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below <\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n The Week<\/p>\n Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \nSUBSCRIBE & SAVE\n<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Sign up for The Week’s Free Newsletters<\/p>\n From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n Of course, human soldiers remain the key demographic on the battlefield<\/a>, but Ukraine is \u201ceager to highlight its advances to show Western partners that its outnumbered army can stay in the fight,\u201d said the Times, while also promoting the country\u2019s \u201chomegrown defense industry.\u201d During the first three months of 2026, Ukraine\u2019s ground robots \u201ccarried out more than 22,000 missions on the front lines,\u201d said Business Insider, citing data from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018The reality is more nuanced and far less futuristic\u2019<\/p>\n There are drawbacks to using robots, as they \u201ccan still fall prey to enemy drones and also face challenges in traversing battle-scarred landscapes,\u201d said Ars Technica<\/a>. Though they may be good for frontline combat, at least one Ukrainian battalion reported that robots \u201cattempting to evacuate wounded soldiers failed to reach the positions in four out of five cases due to complicating factors.\u201d Ukraine\u2019s efforts are also in \u201ccompetition with the Russian military, which has similarly increased its use of robots on the frontlines.\u201d<\/p>\n The narrative has largely been that Ukrainian robots will eventually supersede<\/a> most of the country\u2019s soldiers, but the \u201creality is more nuanced and far less futuristic,\u201d said the Kyiv Post<\/a>. The expansion of these battlefield robots is mostly part of an effort to \u201csupport troops not replace them.\u201d And even though the stories of killer robots dominate the headlines, much of the \u201cwork performed by these robots remains logistical,\u201d encompassing the delivery of \u201csupplies, including food, ammunition, water and equipment, to frontline positions.\u201d<\/p>\n But even non-offensive missions using robots \u201ccan save lives, as they replace tasks that would otherwise require soldiers to move on foot under fire,\u201d a senior operator of ground robotic systems from Ukraine\u2019s 13th Brigade told the Kyiv<\/a> Post. It remains \u201cfar better to send a robot on a mission. If it is destroyed, you lose equipment. But if you send two or three soldiers and they are killed, it is a much greater loss, both emotionally and for the unit\u2019s combat capability.\u201d<\/p>\n Explore More<\/p>\n