logo
Ukraine's soldiers are giving robots guns and grenade launchers to fire at the Russians in ways even 'the bravest infantry' can't

Ukraine's soldiers are giving robots guns and grenade launchers to fire at the Russians in ways even 'the bravest infantry' can't

Ukrainian soldiers are increasingly arming ground robots with rifles and other weapons, letting them fire at the Russians rather than putting themselves in harm's way.
The robots are part of Ukraine's ongoing innovation race with Russia, a rush to develop new technology to fight back against Russia's invasion before the enemy can.
Oleksandr Yabchanka, the head of the robotic systems for Ukraine's Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, told Business Insider that the value in these robots is that they can do the things that even Ukraine's most courageous soldiers cannot.
Ukraine has long been pumping out aerial drones, and now an increasing number of companies in Ukraine and in partner nations are working on ground robots that can evacuate the wounded, transport and lay mines, explode in Russian positions, and even fire weapons at Russian targets. The tech isn't new to the war, but it's becoming more prolific.
Used widely, this growing technology could be a significant boost for Ukraine; its population and military remain much smaller than Russia's, and it deals with inconsistent support from its international partners regularly. But Russia is working on the tech, too.
The Ukrainian robots that shoot take different forms: some robots are fixed and look like a gun on stilts (effectively a turret), and then there are others that can move around, resembling a machine gun on top of a wheeled robot.
Firing on the Russians
When Ukraine's soldiers are in reinforced positions, like a trench, they typically have a gun post from which they fire machine guns and other weapons.
The soldiers operating those weapons are extremely vulnerable to return fire, so gun crews take them in shifts.
Russian soldiers see "where the fire is coming from," Yabchanka said of the Russians, and they attack the gun position with artillery, drones, or grenade launchers.
With more robots, drones, and automated systems on the battlefield, soldiers can now have "exactly the same setting but with a robot there" instead of a human being that can be killed or injured.
The soldier controls the robot, and the robot "can now do things that couldn't have been done before. Even by the bravest infantry people." For instance, it can continue firing even amid targeted enemy counterfire.
He said that when most people picture a firing robot, they picture the Terminator from the films of the same name. Yabchanka said that the Ukrainians are getting the same combat capabilities without a bipedal robot with arms and legs. It is a remote-controlled turret, and it's effective.
He said some of the robots are also automated grenade launchers rather than machine guns.
He described them as "somewhat similar" to the handheld grenade launcher that Arnold Schwarzenegger had in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" but "slightly better."
Ukraine's grenade-launching robots include the "Burya" model from Ukrainian company Frontline, which builds a remote grenade launcher turret that can be mounted on a tracked vehicle or a tripod.
Ukraine is increasingly investing in mobile robots with weapons on board. Ukraine's defense ministry in April, for example, approved the use of the domestically made D-21-12R ground robotic complex, which is equipped with theUS-made Browning .50-caliber machine gun.
But Yabchanka shared that mobile firing robots are not being used at scale yet. They are "not yet working in a way that would have a massive effect along the touchline."
Part of the reason their use is still limited is how hard it can be to keep the robots connected. Russian jamming or a physical attack on a moving robot could mean Ukraine loses the ability to control it, so it just becomes "an expensive pile of metal scrap."
Ukraine's robots
Ukraine is employing its robots in a growing number of ways, but Yabchanka described the firing function as "most complex in terms of implementation." Other functions like casualty evac are less complicated, though they're not without their own challenges and complexities when it comes to battlefield use.
Robots are being used more and more, but not all units have access to them or use them in large numbers. Yabchanka said his unit has been "pioneering" in using the robots and that its pilots "share those experiences with other units."
Again, the technology isn't new, but there is a growing realization that the tech, from robot dogs to crewless tracked vehicles, has potential. Many Western nations have been drawing lessons from the Ukraine war, and ground robots, which are also known as ground drones or uncrewed ground vehicles, are systems that countries are thinking carefully about.
Ukrainian companies are innovating quickly, working in wartime conditions with a Ukrainian government that is supportive even with limited funds and many companies and types of technology to choose from.
Many Western companies are making them, too, and some of them have products that are being used in Ukraine. Estonian robotic vehicle manufacturer Milrem Robotics, for instance, has its THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicles in Ukraine.
Kuldar Väärsi, the company's CEO, told BI in May that the robots support Ukraine's military by going to the "positions where they don't want to send their troops" for attacks and for other functions like carrying equipment.
He said that before companies like his were in Ukraine, "quite a lot of people were talking about unmanned ground vehicles in defense. But all that was very experimental and lots of doubts around it." While there are still some doubts and concerns about these systems, there is a recognition that UGVs have value.
But he said this war has demonstrated that "unmanned ground vehicles have a really important place on the battlefield."
Yabchanka said that in Ukraine, the robots are being constantly refined and modified, with soldiers making changes out on the front lines. They are in constant contact with Ukrainian developers about issues and updates they recommend.
He urged Europe to work closely with Ukraine to develop its technology, as many officials in Europe warn that Russia may attack elsewhere on the continent. He said working with Ukrainian expertise is useful because they have real-time data, and "what was up to date and relevant half a year ago is not up to date and relevant anymore."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

North Korea's Kim seen draping coffins with flag at Russia treaty anniversary
North Korea's Kim seen draping coffins with flag at Russia treaty anniversary

Yahoo

time27 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

North Korea's Kim seen draping coffins with flag at Russia treaty anniversary

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea's state media showed on Monday leader Kim Jong Un draping coffins with the national flag in what appeared to be the repatriation of soldiers killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine, as the countries marked a landmark military treaty. In a series of photographs displayed in the backdrop of a gala performance by North Korean and visiting Russian artists in Pyongyang, Kim is seen by rows of a half a dozen coffins, covering them with flags and pausing briefly with both hands resting on them. The scene followed images of North Korean and Russian soldiers waving their national flags with patriotic notes written in Korean. Kim is seen at the gala seemingly overcome with emotion and audience members wiping away tears. North Korea's state KRT television aired the performance, which was attended by Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova who is leading a delegation to mark the first anniversary of the strategic partnership treaty as Kim's guest. The performance was enthusiastically received for inspiring confidence in the "ties of friendship and the genuine internationalist obligation between the peoples and armies of the two countries that were forged at the cost of blood," KCNA news agency said. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the strategic partnership treaty in June last year in Pyongyang. It includes a mutual defence pact. After months of silence, the two countries have disclosed the deployment of North Korean troops and lauded the "heroic" role they played in Moscow's offensive against Ukraine to reclaim the Kursk region in western Russia.

Kim Jong Un meets Russian culture minister amid growing ties
Kim Jong Un meets Russian culture minister amid growing ties

UPI

time32 minutes ago

  • UPI

Kim Jong Un meets Russian culture minister amid growing ties

Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova (2nd row 2-L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2nd row C) attend a performance in Pyongyang on Sunday. Lyubimova is visiting on the first anniversary of the signing of a North Korea-Russia comprehensive partnership treaty, state-run media reported Monday. Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE SEOUL. June 30 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with visiting Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova in Pyongyang as the two countries continue to strengthen bilateral ties, the North's state-run media reported Monday. The meeting took place on Sunday at the headquarters of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee and was also attended by Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. Lyubimova led a ministry delegation to mark the first anniversary of the countries' comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, under which North Korea has sent troops and weapons to Moscow to aid in its war against Ukraine. Kim said that "extensive and profound exchanges and cooperation in all fields are further expanding and developing day by day" in the wake of the partnership, according to KCNA. "It is important for the cultural sector to guide the relations between the two countries," he said. "It is necessary to further expand the exchange and cooperation in the field of culture and art to know well about each other's excellent cultural traditions and learn more." Lyubimova said her visit came at a time when the "solidity and invincibility of the DPRK-Russia friendship and solidarity are being more clearly proved," KCNA reported. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea. "Cooperation between the two countries in the cultural field has reached the highest level in history," she added. The two discussed future plans for cultural exchanges and attended a concert by North Korean musicians and a visiting troupe of Russian performers, the KCNA report said. Photos released by KCNA showed images of North Korean troops deployed to Russia used as a stage backdrop. North Korea has sent some 14,000 troops to help Russia recapture lost territory in Kursk Province from Ukrainian forces, according to a recent report from the 11-country Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team. Pyongyang acknowledged sending the troops for the first time in April. The cultural meeting came on the heels of a pair of visits by Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu this month. On June 18, Shoigu announced that North Korea would send 6,000 military workers and combat engineers to help rebuild the Kursk region. North Korea is likely to send additional troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine in July or August, South Korea's National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting on Thursday.

German foreign minister visits Kyiv, pledges continued support for Ukraine

time2 hours ago

German foreign minister visits Kyiv, pledges continued support for Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine -- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, in a show of continuing support for Ukraine's fight to repel Russia's invasion as U.S.-led international peace efforts fail to make progress. Wadephul was due to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Wadephul said in a statement that Germany will help Ukraine 'continue to defend itself successfully — with modern air defense and other weapons, with humanitarian and economic aid.' Germany has been Ukraine's second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support is in doubt. However, Berlin has balked at granting Zelenskyy's request to provide Ukraine with powerful German- and Swedish-made Taurus long-range missiles. That's due to fears that such a move could enrage the Kremlin and end up drawing NATO into Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. Instead, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged in May to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets. Wadephul was accompanied on his trip to Kyiv by German defense industry representatives. Russia's invasion shows no sign of letting up. Its grinding war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and long-range strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine have killed thousands of troops and civilians. The Russian effort to capture more Ukrainian territory has been costly in terms of casualties and damaged armor. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected a ceasefire and hasn't budged from his war goals. Putin 'doesn't want negotiations, but (Ukrainian) capitulation,' Wadephul said in his statement.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store