Ukraine’s Robots Have Run 50,000 Supply and Rescue Missions — Now the Army Wants Them to Replace 30% of Infantry

Ukraine is increasingly integrating unmanned technologies across the battlefield, with the growing use of robotic systems underscoring that broader effort. While aerial drones have become a defining feature of their war of resistance against Russia’s ongoing invasion since 2022, the Ukrainian military planners are now increasingly turning to ground-based robots for logistics, casualty evacuation and selected combat tasks to reduce the exposure of troops in some of the conflict’s most dangerous environments.

Since the start of 2026, Ukrainian forces have completed more than 50,000 logistics and evacuation missions using ground robotic systems, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

He noted that the remotely operated vehicles are increasingly being used in dangerous frontline areas to transport supplies, support military logistics, and evacuate wounded soldiers from positions where human movement would expose troops to significant risk.

“That is why the development of ground robotic complexes is one of our priorities: the more tasks the robots perform, the more lives of soldiers can be saved,” said Mr. Federov in a Telegram post.

According to Fedorov, the number of military units reporting robotic missions has nearly doubled in the past five months, rising from 117 to 230. He attributed part of the increase to ‘eBal’, a digital military performance-tracking system that tracks the operational use and effectiveness of battlefield technologies, including ground robots.

Under the programme, units receive points for completing tasks such as supply deliveries, casualty evacuations, and other missions with robotic platforms. Those points can then be exchanged for additional equipment and resources, creating incentives for commanders to integrate new technologies into frontline operations.

Fedorov said the mechanism has helped accelerate the adoption of ground robots across the armed forces.

Ukraine is also significantly increasing procurement. Fedorov said contracts have been signed for 25,000 ground robotic systems during the first half of 2026 alone, a figure he said is roughly double the number procured throughout all of 2025.

The military’s ambitions extend beyond support missions. Officials from Ukraine’s Third Army Corps say they intend to replace about 30% of infantry roles with robotic systems by the end of 2026, a move designed to reduce battlefield casualties and reshape how combat operations are conducted.

Speaking at the Black Sea Security Forum in Odesa on May 29th, Vladyslav Sobolevskyi, an adviser to Third Army Corps commander Andriy Biletskyi, said Ukrainian forces had experimented with robotic technologies since 2014 but only recently gained the capability to deploy them at a scale that could replace portions of traditional infantry formations.

“In 2014, battles were fought mostly traditionally. But even then we started working on hybrid formats. What are the drones of the Third Army Corps doing today? 70% is logistics and transporting the wounded. But the other 30% are drones that participate in offensive operations. And one of General Biletsky’s plans is to replace 30% of the infantry with drones by the end of 2026. To save the lives of our soldiers,” Mr. Sobolevsky said.

Ground robots have already demonstrated the ability to hold battlefield positions without troops present. Last summer, a remotely operated combat robot armed with a machine gun defended a key frontline position against Russian assaults for roughly six weeks.

The operation was first disclosed by Ukraine’s Third Army Corps in December 2025, when the unit said a DevDroid TW 12.7 ground robot had defended a frontline position for roughly 45 days without infantry support. Additional details emerged in May 2026, when officials described the mission as Ukraine’s first fully robotic defensive operation.

The robot was operated from around 10 kilometres away and supported by aerial reconnaissance drones, with surveillance drones identifying enemy movements and relaying targeting information to the robot’s operator.

While Ukrainian officials acknowledge that limitations in battery life, ammunition capacity and operator training remain significant obstacles, they argue that such operations offer a glimpse of how ground robots could assume a larger share of frontline duties in the years ahead.

Tanmay Kadam is a geopolitical observer based in India. He has experience working as a Defence and International Affairs journalist for EurAsian Times. He can be contacted at tanmaykadam700@gmail.com.