Ukraine's war robot usage jumped 122% in 6 months as the frontline 'kill zone' for human troops grows

Ukraine said it used ground drones in over 16,000 missions in June, up from 7,500 in January.The 122% increase over the last six months comes as danger zones along the front continue to expand.Kyiv says it plans to eventually transfer "up to 100%" of supply missions to its ground robots.Ukraine said on Thursday that its forces had conducted over 16,000 missions with ground drones in June alone, more than double its January tally."From logistics to medical evacuation, UGV units are taking over the most dangerous tasks," Ukraine's defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said in a social media post on X announcing June's figures.By comparison, Ukrainian forces carried out 7,511 ground drone missions in the first month of 2026. Usage of these uncrewed ground vehicles grew more slowly, reaching 9,072 in March, before jumping to 11,028 in April, 14,059 in May, and 16,676 in June."So, in the first month of summer, the use of NRC increased by 18.6% compared to May, and by 122% compared to January," the defense ministry said in a statement, referring to the Ukrainian abbreviation for ground drones.In total, the first six months of 2026 involved over 66,300 mission tasks carried out with ground drones, the ministry said.The reported tally covers logistics and evacuation missions, "replacing military personnel in the most difficult areas of the front," the defense ministry said.Some of Ukraine's ground drones are also fitted with small arms to conduct assaults or hold combat positions, but in recent months, Kyiv's forces have placed greater emphasis on delivering critical supplies to their troops.Enemy surveillance and attack drones prowl the distance behind the front, creating "kill zones" that can stretch for 50 km into Ukrainian-held territory in some areas.These areas are so saturated with drones that they put any human soldier or armored vehicle at high risk of being spotted and attacked.One of Ukraine's solutions to preserve its already stretched troops is to flood these battlefield supply routes with ground drones instead — often wheeled or tracked buggies laden with food, ammo, and water.Over the last two months, Ukrainian units have also been converting aerial bomber, attack, and surveillance drones to carry supplies instead.Ukraine's defense ministry said that it plans to eventually "transfer up to 100% of frontline logistics to robotic solutions."Its forces have contracted more than 22,000 new ground drones to be delivered to the front lines this year, and the ministry said it expects to procure additional systems for 2026.Read the original article on Business Insider