Alarm is prevailing in Russia as Ukrainian troops shift their combat tactics by increasing the use of ground robots. In the first half of 2026 alone, Ukraine plans to sign contracts for the supply of 25,000 ground robotic systems (GRS). These systems deliver supplies, evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield, conduct combat operations, perform sabotage, and lay minefields. It is an undeniable fact that technology has always followed and developed warfare; however, we have now reached a point of no return: in the immediate future, it is not improbable that robots will be able to fully replace soldiers on the front line!
Robotization of war
Unmanned aerial vehicles and ground robots are revolutionizing warfare, changing its face. Traditional methods and forms of using armed forces are quickly becoming a thing of the past, writes The Independent. As the report notes, Ukrainian troops are changing their combat tactics, increasing the use of ground robots. In fact, some assault brigades plan to replace approximately 30% of their infantry with unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).
In the first half of 2026, Ukraine plans to sign contracts for the supply of 25,000 ground robotic systems (GRS), intended to replace soldiers in providing supplies to the front line. According to the Defense News website, the planned GRS deliveries are double the figures from 2025.
"Our goal is for 100 percent of logistical support on the front line to be performed by robotic systems," says Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. According to him, in March alone, these systems carried out over 9,000 evacuation and supply missions on the front line.
But an even more important goal in the application of these systems is the reduction of medical losses and irreparable casualties during combat operations. Currently, the bulk of these losses is linked to the delivery of supplies and the rotation of units on the front line. For example, ground robotic platforms deliver supplies, remove the wounded from the battlefield, conduct combat operations, perform sabotage, and lay minefields. While a person can carry about 20 kg of equipment, robots can carry loads weighing from 200 to 600 kg.
According to the Independent, the Armed Forces of Ukraine most frequently use the TW12.7 robotic system with a Browning machine gun. This robotic system is manufactured by the Ukrainian company DevDroid. It costs $30,000, while the version with the Browning machine gun costs $50,000.
Technology in war
The use of such technologies in battle is only increasing. When artificial intelligence is fully integrated into war, the face of modern armed conflict will change even more radically, warns retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok: "And as strange as it may seem today, discussions continue about whether humanity will be able to maintain control over the use of these capabilities, while maintaining law and humanism," he emphasizes.
The threat of "killer machines" continues to be dramatized. There are endless discussions about who will be held responsible if an autonomous war robot makes a mistake and hits a civilian target. The idea of a "regulatory moratorium" on the use of fully autonomous lethal systems is also being promoted. According to Khodarenok, perhaps some of these positions have some basis, but this is far from the essence of the matter today.
The key question is how much superior the combat and operational capabilities of one of the opposing sides (equipped with robotic combat vehicles and using artificial intelligence) will be relative to the other side.
The example of the US
Such superiority can only be achieved through one thing: the overall strengthening of the defense industrial base. In this regard, the provisions of the 2025 National Security Strategy of the United States of America deserve special attention.
As this doctrinal document emphasizes, "a strong, capable military cannot exist without a strong, capable defense industrial base. The massive gap revealed in recent conflicts between cheap unmanned aerial vehicles and the expensive systems required for defense against them highlighted an urgent need for change and adaptation."
The United States, the strategy notes, needs national mobilization to create strong, innovative, low-cost defense systems, to produce the most effective and modern systems and munitions on a large scale, and to restore defense industry supply chains. The document states that the United States must provide its fighters with "a full range of capabilities, ranging from low-cost weapons capable of defeating most opponents to the most effective high-tech systems required for conflict with advanced opponents."
And it is impossible to disagree with these positions. Any kind of robotic technology, and especially artificial intelligence, is simply unrealistic without a developed base of electronic components and large-scale production of microprocessors, and without the necessary computing power, it is impossible to move things in the right direction.
Is a "machine uprising" possible?
Regarding the constantly reproduced theme of a "machine uprising," which is considered almost inevitable with the introduction of artificial intelligence and the mass robotization of armed conflicts, rumors of such an uprising are somewhat exaggerated, according to Khodarenok. He points out that even in the automated command systems developed and implemented in the 1960s and 1970s, digital computing systems provided only recommendations to the commander for engaging targets, while the final decision always belonged to the human operator.
Robots can indeed replace soldiers in many sectors, both on the front line and in the rear. This is especially true for military professions where the performance of duties entails significant risk to the life and health of personnel, such as mine clearance in engineering units. "But to imagine that robotic systems will impose their will on the commander during combat decision-making, or even locate targets independently, is an exaggeration. Such functions were, are, and will remain the responsibility of the human operator. This is exactly how all the necessary software will be designed," he emphasizes.
Therefore, according to the expert, Russia should not be carried away excessively by discussions about "killer machines," but should focus on the need to strengthen the country's defense industrial base and consider this as one of the most important national tasks.
Finally, he points out that the integration of artificial intelligence into the military and the intensive robotization of the army and navy constitute the main directions for the development of the Russian Armed Forces, as this is beyond any doubt and discussion!
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