AFU scales up use of drones and ground robots – military
Vitalii Dobrianskyi, head of the Central Directorate for Innovation Activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Andrii Kovalyov, a major and media relations officer at the Public Affairs Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated this during a briefing at Ukrinform.
"We are working closely with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine is also our main governing body. The Armed Forces operate within the Ministry of Defence system. We cannot deviate from the development priorities set for us. Today's battlefield truly focuses on unmanned weapons… we are changing the level of technology," Dobrianskyi said.
According to him, technological development in the Armed Forces focuses on strengthening air defense, creating solutions against strike drones, and increasing system autonomy. At the same time, the military is working on longer-range and new formats for using these technologies, constantly improving them to maintain an advantage or at least parity in this field.
"Regarding anti-Shahed solutions: two years ago we had an understanding of how to do it. Today we are already doing it. The ideas are already being applied. You know that there are interception teams working within the system of deployment. These are not isolated solutions," Dobrianskyi added.
He clarified that over the past 15 months the Armed Forces have scaled up units working with ground robotic platforms and improved practices for their use. The drone interception system now includes information and tracking systems, operator training, and specific products that are already being supplied to troops on a systematic basis.
Meanwhile, Kovalyov reminded that ground robotic systems are already operating directly on the line of combat contact. He cited a case that became widely known in Ukraine: two Ukrainian soldiers who were supposed to stay at their position for two months remained there for about 150–180 days before being evacuated by a ground robotic system.
"And it is not the only one in the ranks of the Armed Forces; there are already quite a number of them in service. This idea is scaling up," he emphasized.
Dobrianskyi also added that the Armed Forces expect increased threats in cyberspace in 2026, the need to change approaches to air defense, and continued use by the Russian army of weapons manufactured in Asia.
"There will definitely be challenges in cyberspace and air defense, so we will need to change our approaches," he said.
He explained that due to the risk of enemy adaptation, the Ukrainian military cannot publicly disclose all details of their forecasts. However, several areas requiring special attention have already been identified.
According to him, studies of captured weapons indicate that Russian forces are using missiles produced in the relevant region.
"This concerns not only missile weapons but all air-attack systems. In particular, there is confirmation of their use in ground operations," Dobrianskyi said.
As Ukrinform previously reported, the Defence Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine added the ability for soldiers to order ground robotic systems through the weapons marketplace DOT‑Chain Defence. Units can now independently choose and order robotic systems to perform combat and logistics tasks without involving personnel in the strike zone.
Photo: Yevhen Kotenko / Ukrinform
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