Ukraine is swapping soldiers for robots as it is sending 15,000 machines to the frontline to fight against Russia amid Kyiv’s crippling manpower shortage.
The devices, known as the Zmiy, or “snake”, are being used in order to gain a technological edge over Russia as war rages on across the eastern front.
The Uncrewed Ground Vehicles (UGVs) deployed by Kyiv have a variety of roles and functions, from minelaying and mine clearing to logistics, casualty evacuation and direct combat.
“It’s no secret that Ukraine is facing a severe shortage of personnel,” Kateryna Bondar of the thinktank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) told Forbes.
The Uncrewed Ground Vehicles (UGVs) deployed by Kyiv have a variety of roles and functions, from minelaying and mine clearing to logistics, casualty evacuation and direct combat
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“This creates an urgent, existential need to substitute human roles with robotic systems.”
Hlib Kanevskyi, head of the Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, cited the 15,000 figure to local publications.
In the last year, the country has scaled up UGV production in order to replace human boots with metal ones in order to minimise fatalities.
According to Ukraine’s Defence Procurement Agency, in the second half of 2024, the Ministry of Defence signed six contracts for ground robots worth $2.5million.
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In the last year, the country has scaled up UGV production
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In the first quarter of 2025, this number spiked to 31 contracts totaling $150m.
“Last year, we delivered hundreds of robots to the front. This year, we’re aiming for thousands,” said Maksym Vasylenko, director of the Ukrainian defense tech company Tencore.
Over 500 defence start-ups are said to be operating across Ukraine in secret locations, The Telegraph reports.
One of the deadliest robots in Ukraine’s new robot army is the Lyut - a device armed with 7.62mm bullets similar to those used by the AK47 assault rifle.
According to Ukraine’s Defence Procurement Agency, in the second half of 2024, the Ministry of Defense signed six contracts for ground robots worth $2.5m
Reuters
The Lyut - which can be used both at day and night - has been tried in combat and can operate as a stand-off weapon, opening fire on Russia forces from various angles.
“Ukraine is world leading in robotics – not in sophistication, but in practicality,” said David Kirichenko, an expert in autonomous systems at the Henry Jackson Society, a British think tank.
He added that the focus is on creating robots in large numbers at affordable prices.
Kirichenko said that changes can be made “within a week” as soldiers are able to give feedback directly to the designers.
“That is why Ukraine is able to survive on the battlefield,” he told the publication. “There are a lot of mistakes being made and a lot of learning.”
