Share Source: The Telegraph
In the first half of 2026, Ukraine plans to produce 25,000 ground robots. The equipment is already performing a record number of missions, replacing people in the “death zone.”
Main theses:
- Ukraine plans to produce 25,000 ground robots for the front in the first half of 2026.
- Ground-based robotic systems allow for effective performance of tasks on the front line, replacing manpower.
- The development of the “robot army” became a necessary step due to the high activity of Russian drones and the transformation of the front into a “death zone.”
Ukraine will produce 25 thousand NRCs in six months
Ground-based robotic systems (GROS) have become a universal tool: they evacuate the wounded, fire on the enemy, and lay mines.
Commanders call them the “new cavalry” because the machines can perform tasks in minutes that previously cost soldiers their lives.
The main reason for the mass introduction of robots is to save the lives of soldiers, said Alexander Afanasyev, commander of the K-2 brigade's NRC battalion. This brigade became the first unit in the world to fully specialize in operating ground-based drones on the front line.
The Telegraph, citing data from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, notes that the number of operations involving ground platforms is rapidly growing.
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In particular, the following indicators were recorded:
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in April, robots completed 10,281 supply and evacuation missions;
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The average intensity was 343 missions per day.
At the same time, for comparison, data from November last year is provided, when this figure was only 2,900 missions.
Robert Tollast, an expert at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), noted that such a technological leap is changing the nature of modern warfare, and battles between robots are becoming a matter of time.
The development of the “robot army” was a forced step due to the high activity of Russian drones. The territory around the front has turned into a “death zone”, where any moving target comes under fire in a matter of seconds.
Previously, pickup trucks and armored vehicles were used for logistics, but they were destroyed faster than they could be replaced. The use of NRCs allows for the delivery of resources and holding positions when it is too dangerous for people to be in the area.