Ukraine plans to replace 30 percent of its soldiers on the front line with combat robots.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are sharply expanding the use of combat robots on the front line, aiming to replace up to 30 percent of personnel with technology in the most complex areas by 2026. The Moscow Times reported this.

 

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian army, for the first time during the war, captured an enemy position using only unmanned platforms — ground robotic systems and drones — taking several soldiers prisoner. This operation was carried out last summer. Currently, such technologies are being used in over 150 units.

 

According to Politico, the commander who led the operation, Mykola Zinkevych, stated that the priority tasks are to remove infantry from under fire and perform dangerous missions through robots.

 

"Our goal for 2026 is to replace up to 30 percent of personnel with technology in the most complex areas of the front," said Zinkevych.

 

According to reports, the Ukrainian side is actively using unmanned technologies against the numerically superior Russian army. It is noted that nearly 80 percent of the damage inflicted on the enemy's personnel is attributed specifically to drones and robots.

 

According to an analysis by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the widespread use of new technologies in combat operations in Ukraine is significantly changing the methods of warfare. The report states that weapon systems that were difficult to imagine a few years ago now dominate the battlefield.

 

According to the report, starting from 2025, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has approved nearly 40 types of new robotic systems, and by the end of the year, about 15,000 devices were delivered to the army. While 67 units used them in November 2025, this figure reached 167 by March 2026.

 

Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that in March alone, robotic systems performed over 9,000 logistics and evacuation tasks on the front line. The minister emphasized that the complete robotization of logistics processes on the front line is being planned.

 

Furthermore, contracts are expected to be signed in the first half of 2026 for the delivery of 25,000 ground robotic systems. It is noted that this figure is double the total delivery volume in 2025.

 

According to the military, during an operation conducted in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian forces captured an enemy position without infantry and without losses. The operation utilized ground kamikaze robots and drones, resulting in two Russian soldiers surrendering and being taken prisoner.

 

According to analysts, the widespread introduction of combat robots is being compared to the technological changes that occurred in the military field in the 1920s–1930s.