The growing focus on battlefield robots comes as aerial drones have made the modern combat zone particularly lethal for human troops. Continuous drone surveillance and strikes have established a “kill zone” reaching about 12 miles (20 kilometers) beyond frontline positions as of February 2026, forcing individual soldiers to stay sheltered or depend on night cover, anti-thermal cloaks, or fog to move without risking a drone hit. These drones are now causing the largest share of battlefield casualties on both sides as the full-scale war enters its fifth year. The newest military drones being trialed by Ukraine in combat incorporate autonomous onboard software and AI-driven functions to track and strike targets even if enemy jamming severs communication with human controllers.
Robots answering the call
By contrast, ground-robot use in the Russo-Ukrainian war has been comparatively limited, with Ukraine reporting thousands of ground-robot missions per month versus hundreds of thousands of drone sorties. Still, recent figures indicate the Ukrainian military is ramping up deployments of robots for resupply and medical evacuation missions, which can reduce human exposure to drone threats. Ukraine has also increasingly used such robots in combat roles, arming them with machine guns and grenade launchers or sometimes configuring them to detonate like roaming bombs.
An example is the Droid TW 12.7 from Ukrainian firm DevDroid. Company materials say the tracked robot mounts an M2 Browning on a remotely controlled turret and can travel roughly 15 miles (25 kilometers) at a top speed similar to an adult’s walking pace. A human operator connects to the robot via radio, and the platform can also integrate Starlink’s satellite service.
