A video released by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears to show a Russian surrender with no Ukrainian soldiers in sight.
What makes it remarkable is that the enemy position was taken exclusively by unmanned ground vehicles and drones.
The remotely controlled victory is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.
The machines behind the operation were built in Ukrainian factories that, before the war, produced entirely different products.
One company, Ratal Robotics, used to manufacture street lights. Now its focus is on killing machines.
One of the company’s military advisers showed us around the factory.
“In the wheels, they have anti-tank mines,” he said casually, before pointing out an unmanned off-road vehicle fitted with a mounted machine gun.
“In the past, in 2022, we go to war with rifle and grenade. Now we go to war with joystick and robots. War is totally changed. With rifle I can kill one, two, maybe three of our enemies with joystick I can kill 100.”
Its vehicles are part of a rapidly evolving generation of robotic systems designed for combat, logistics and rescue operations.
A UGV (unmanned ground vehicle) instructor who calls himself ‘Panda’ gave us a demonstration.
“It is really easy to train like small boys small toys. Big boys, big toys.”
The machines, which cost roughly the same as a basic truck, can transport weapons, supplies or people. They can also be controlled from anywhere with an internet connection.
One recent mission involved rescuing a 77-year-old woman stranded in Russian-occupied territory. The crew remotely instructed her to take a seat in the vehicle before carrying her to safety.
“Now we are adapting and using new technologies because we are forced to, we have a huge opponent with lots of resource and money supply, and we need to survive this war,” Panda told us.
According to Ukrainian officials, drones and robotic systems have carried out more than 22,000 missions over the past three months alone.
But Ukraine is not the only country rapidly developing unmanned and autonomous military technology.
China has recently demonstrated robotic dogs equipped with machine guns, while companies in the UK are also expanding their capabilities.
At Malloy Aeronautics, engineers are developing heavy-lift drones capable of carrying up to 68 kilograms. The aircraft are already being used for ship-to-ship logistics and could eventually serve as low-cost missile platforms or emergency rescue vehicles.
