Ukraine to deploy tens of thousands of unmanned robotic ground vehicles in preparation for future operations – minister Fedorov

In the coming year, Ukraine will require tens of thousands of unmanned robotic ground vehicles for delivering ammunition and supplies to infantry in the trenches, as well as evacuating wounded defenders.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, spoke to Reuters in an interview.

He believes that the buggy-like vehicles are a prime example of technology altering the positional war in Ukraine, ultimately eliminating the necessity for troops to be stationed near the front line, where frequent Russian shelling and drones pose a threat.

"This year, we have purchased several thousand ground platforms, and next year, I think, we will need tens of thousands," the minister, who was involved in the procurement of drones for most of the war, said in an interview. Starting this month, he is no longer involved in the procurement of drones.

Fedorov said the vehicles are already being used along the front and in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces carved out an enclave during the August invasion.

Ukraine has several training centers to train in their use, he added.

According to Fedorov, the use of military technology is rapidly developing, even though the war has turned into a bloody, exhausting struggle without significant changes on the battlefield, despite Russia's recent accelerated successes, which began 33 months after the invasion in 2022.

Since 2023, the production of long-range drones in Ukraine has increased tenfold, and President Volodymyr Zelensky has set a goal of producing 30,000 units of this deep-destruction weapon next year.

Russia is launching thousands of long-range drones every month, strategically utilizing inexpensive "dummy" drones to wear out Ukraine's air defense forces. The drones appear on the radar, forcing the air defense forces to shoot them down.

Fedorov said that Ukraine also used decoy drones and sometimes launched more strike drones in one night than Russia, but it was not just a numbers game.

"[AI] is used to some extent, but the more important issues are communications and methods of launching (drones) for long-range strikes. Russia has improved monitoring of (Ukraine's) drone launches, quickly reacting and targeting launch sites. These nuances require constant changes in the method of launching and connection," he said.

He said Ukraine has strike drones that can fly up to 1,800 km.

He also confirmed that Ukraine is working on drones to intercept long-range strike drones like the Shahed, which Russia uses for its nighttime attacks on Ukrainian cities.

"Some companies that produce… aircraft are conducting tests that, thanks to specialized software and radar, can hit the Shahed, but this is still in the research and development stage. There are some results," he said.

He reported that this year, Ukraine signed a contract to purchase 1.6 million drones, of which 1.3 million have been delivered, including low-cost FPV drones equipped with cameras that allow them to be remotely piloted to reach targets.

Ukraine also uses dozens of domestic artificial intelligence systems that allow its drones to reach targets on the battlefield without pilots' participation, allowing them to remain effective in areas protected by powerful obstacles.

Fedorov reported that ten companies are constantly competing in state procurement for the right to supply products based on artificial intelligence.

"I think that the percentage of autonomous drones with guidance will increase significantly next year. We can see the first real applications of drone swarms, although not on a mass scale. The first steps will be taken," he said.

For reference:

On December 19, 2023, during a press conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would produce a million drones next year.

In addition to 1 million FPV drones, more than 10,000 medium-range strike drones and more than 2,000 drones with a range of 1,000 km will be produced in 2024.

The Security Service of Ukraine previously announced the development of a one-of-a-kind underwater drone nicknamed "Sea Baby" in Ukraine. The manufacturing facilities for these drones are located within the country but are concealed underground.

Additionally, Ukraine has implemented mass production of a homegrown version of the Shahed drones. They can produce dozens of these drones each month.

Additionally, engineers from Kryvyi Rih have successfully developed and begun mass-producing domestic strike UAVs, known as Cobra aircraft, with a flight range of up to 300 km.

Currently, Ukrainian companies can produce up to 150,000 drones every month, and they aim to increase this number to a total of 2 million by the end of 2024.