Ukraine is sending ground robots into combat in record numbers to replace its soldiers in deadly roles wherever possible, from logistics missions to front-line assaults.
And while the ground robots are helping save lives, they’re also changing how the Ukrainian military sustains the war as it nears the four-and-a-half-year mark and continues facing manpower challenges.
Ukrainian commanders told Business Insider that one of the benefits of uncrewed ground robots, or UGVs, is their ability to increase Kyiv’s “operational endurance.”
War robots don’t “fatigue in the same way humans do, allowing persistent tasks such as monitoring, transport, or reconnaissance support,” said Grek, a UGV company commander with the 21st Unmanned Systems “Kraken” Regiment. He used his call sign for security reasons.
The commander of a UGV unit in the 2nd “Khartia” Corps, who goes by his call sign Mathematician, said that the main purpose of the ground robots is to decrease the number of soldiers involved in missions.
However, he said the robots have a durability advantage: they can go on more missions than a small infantry unit can, and at any time of day, too. “Without that, the Ukrainian Army cannot exist now, really. So this is definitely about durability.”
Ukraine has made UGVs a priority defense investment this year. The country contracted 25,000 robots in the first half of 2026 — twice as many as in all of 2025. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants 50,000 produced by the end of the year.
The investments in this technology underscore Ukraine’s push to replace soldiers with robots in various combat roles, especially deadly logistics missions. Officials have praised the UGVs for their ability to save lives on the battlefield.
The robots are playing a growing role in the war. Zelenskyy said in April that UGVs had logged more than 22,000 missions since the start of the year. The figure had climbed to more than 50,000 by June.
Ukrainian UGV commanders said the aim in using the robots is to reduce the number of soldiers doing dangerous missions, but not actually remove them entirely from the war.
“Keeping humans involved in decision-making remains essential,” Grek said. “UGVs are tools that support people — they can handle the most hazardous parts of a mission while humans provide judgment, control, and responsibility.”
He added that the robots increase efficiency, allowing a smaller number of soldiers to control or coordinate systems that previously required more people and resources.
Ground robots are particularly valuable at the front lines, which have evolved into a miles-wide “kill zone” where any movement can draw a fatal drone strike. Ukrainian officials and soldiers have said this area is growing.
Equipped with advanced sensors and cameras, war robots provide troops farther back with greater situational awareness, allowing them to see closer to the front lines and “extending human capability,” Grek said.
He said operators can “observe, deliver, recover, inspect, or support operations from a safer distance.”
However, as the battlefield becomes deadlier for soldiers, it has also become riskier for robots, which move slowly and lack the same protection against drones that an armored vehicle may have.
Near the line of contact, robots may only survive five or 10 missions before they’re destroyed, said Andrii Kushnierov, a platoon leader with Ukraine’s 59th Assault Brigade.
Mathematician said that in some areas of the battlefield, the life of a robot may be as long as 20 missions. In his, though, it’s maybe three or four. For the Ukrainians, these machine losses are worth it to keep soldiers alive.
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