Ukraine is rapidly increasing the use of ground robotic platforms in the combat zone, entrusting them with increasingly dangerous tasks on the front lines. This is reported by Business Insider.
Due to the dense mining of territories, constant artillery shelling and the active use of drones, logistics on the front line has become one of the most dangerous operations.
“If you send a human driver to deliver such things, there is a huge probability that he will be killed,” – emphasized Andriy Kushnerov, platoon commander of the 59th separate assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
That is why the Ukrainian military is increasingly involve ground-based unmanned systems for transporting ammunition and food, as well as evacuating the wounded.
One of the manufacturers of such equipment is the Ukrainian company Ratel Robotics. Its CEO Taras Ostapchuk reported that the company’s first development at the end of 2023 was a self-propelled platform with anti-tank mines for destroying enemy targets. Currently, the company produces hundreds of unmanned ground vehicles every month. The cost of such robots depends on their characteristics and functionality and ranges from 2 to 40 thousand dollars.
Modern models are capable of transporting hundreds of kilograms of cargo, evacuating the wounded, mining the terrain, launching FPV drones and performing strike missions. According to the publication, in the first half of 2026, Ukraine ordered 25,000 ground robots, which is twice the figure for all of 2025. It is planned to produce 50 thousand such platforms by the end of the year.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian-made robots have completed more than 50 thousand missions.
The CEO of the state platform Brave1 Andriy Hrytsenyuk reported that about 280 manufacturers work in Ukraine, creating more than 550 models of ground robotic systems.
“We should not risk our soldiers. Everything that can be replaced with drones, we replace with drones,” Hrytsenyuk said.
Despite the development of technology, such equipment remains vulnerable in combat conditions. According to Kushnerov, near the front line, a ground robot usually performs from five to ten missions. However, such losses are considered acceptable if it allows saving the lives of servicemen.
To increase the stability of the machines, manufacturers have begun to equip them with anti-fragmentation protection and are developing systems to counter FPV drones. The Ukrainian military is convinced that the widespread use of inexpensive unmanned systems is gradually changing the nature of modern warfare.
Experts believe that the Ukrainian experience can become a reference point for other states. In their opinion, the outcome of future wars will be determined not only by expensive high-tech systems, but also by the ability to quickly produce large volumes of relatively cheap robotic platforms that are easy to replace after being lost on the battlefield.
