Ukraine deployed ground robot troops to attack Russia

Images and footage circulating on social networks in recent weeks show the appearance of many types of unmanned ground robots (UGVs) from Ukraine on the battlefield, from robots tasked with clearing dangerous mines and mines. to robots engaging in firefights.

According to the magazine NewsweekUkraine has invested massively in unmanned technology, with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the water and regularly making headlines for targeting Russian assets in the Black Sea, or crossing border into Russian territory.

Ukraine’s unmanned ground robots (UGVs) have received less attention, but Kiev is continuing to develop them.

In mid-September 2023, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, said Ukraine was testing the unmanned robot “Ironclad” in front-line combat missions.

Mr. Fedorov said the Ironclad robot is equipped with a machine gun or a combat turret. Their design is aimed at attacking enemy positions, performing reconnaissance and fire support missions. According to reports, it can move at speeds of up to 19km/h.

Ironclad is remotely controlled by humans at a safe location, to protect the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.

At the end of August 2023, the Ukrainian minister said testing was being conducted on 25 different types of combat robots produced by Ukraine, including suicide robots.

Ukraine has announced plans to establish a “robot army” by 2023.

In early January, Ukraine’s ground forces said their 5th Special Assault Brigade was using ground combat drones to target Russian positions.

UGVs tend to be increasingly smaller to minimize the risk of detection by drones, and they are often crude and cheap.

The overall goal of a UGV is to perform simple tasks, such as entering an opponent’s position to attack and force them to reveal themselves, “prey” for attacks by other UGVs or aerial drones.