Ukraine is using this company's ground robots in ways it didn't quite expect

Business Insider

3 days ago

A company that makes ground robots to defend against Russia said that Ukrainian soldiers have been using its technology in ways they were not expecting.
Kuldar Väärsi, the founder and CEO of Estonian company Milrem Robotics, told Business Insider that "Ukrainian troops are really creative, and they really find very simple ways how to get even more out of the equipment," including adding and attaching things to Milrem's robots.
The company makes autonomous ground robots that can gather intelligence, evacuate wounded soldiers, dispose of explosive devices, and fire weaponry like machine guns.
He said that it makes sense that Ukraine's soldiers are finding ways to adapt. "If you give a tool to a soldier, then he will use it as it seems most appropriate," Väärsi said. For the Ukrainian troops, "it is literally a question of life and death," so they are motivated to use the equipment "in the best possible manner."
He could not give many details due to security concerns, "but the creativity of Ukrainian troops is really admirable," he said.
The company's THeMIS model is being used in Ukraine as part of the fight against Russia's invasion. The robotic vehicle can carry a payload of up to 2,645.5 pounds and travel at up to 12 miles per hour. It can be fitted with a variety of weapons and used to clear mines, carry cargo, and move out injured troops.
The remotely controlled robots can use AI for navigation, carry much more equipment than humans can, and get a lot closer to Russian positions than many soldiers would want to.
Ground robots are becoming increasingly prolific.Oleksandr Yabchanka, head of the robotic systems for Ukraine's Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, told Business Insider that his unit also uses robots to lay mines, collect bodies, and explode near Russian targets.
Robots are being made both inside and outside Ukraine and come with a lot of flexibility in how they're used. Most models are designed to be used in different configurations or with different weaponry, like using machine guns or grenade launchers, up top.
"The ground robotized systems are Lego sets," Yabchanka said, explaining that his unit does not have different robots available for different mission sets. "We all remember Lego. We were growing up together with those kits," he said.
Innovation in battle
Throughout the war, the Ukrainians have repeatedly modified and tweaked Western and Soviet-era weaponry, as well as invented new types, and used them in unexpected ways throughout Russia's invasion.
They've mounted old guns on trucks to stop Russian attacks, turned trucks into makeshift rocket artillery, transformed small, cheap commercial drones into strike weapons and surveillance tools, built cages for tanks to protect them from attacks, adapted Western missiles to make them suitable for Soviet-designed jets, adapted anti-ship cruise missiles for land-attack missions, and worked with the US to make "Frankenstein"-style air defense weapons out Western surface-to-air missiles and Soviet-designed launchers.
It has also pioneered new weapon types with its growing defense industry, like drone boats and AI-enabled gun turrets.
Milrem Robotics is just one of the companies making the robots that are being used in Ukraine. In Ukraine, companies in the space include Roboneers and FRDM, while companies like Germany's ARX Robotics and Czechia's Isolit-Bravo are also working with Ukraine to build robotic systems.
It's a technology that Russia is also embracing.
Väärsi said the war in Ukraine has justified the company's bet on the technology. Milrem Robotics was founded in 2013, but Väärsi said that before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there were doubts about the tech even as people recognized that there were opportunities in defense.
This war "has demonstrated that unmanned ground vehicles have a really important place on the battlefield," he said.
Robots have been used by the West in previous conflicts, but not at this scale. The intensity of this war has pushed new innovation and investments.
It is something that is far from being used by every unit in Ukraine, but it's largely seen as something that's worth pushing for a Ukrainian military that's fighting against a Russian military that has a lot more troops and more weapons.
Väärsi said that, at least for now, the goal for his company's robots is supporting Ukraine's soldiers and keeping them safe rather than replacing them altogether. He said that soldiers can "use the unmanned systems as a first line of defense or offense" and don't need to push troops to the front.
An Estonian, Väärsi said he is motivated to help Ukraine. Estonia is beside Russia and was part of the Soviet Union until 1991. The country is one of Ukraine's biggest partners, is part of the EU and NATO, and is one of the countries warning loudly that Russia could attack elsewhere in Europe.
"It's our mission to support Ukraine as much as we can, to help them win this war. And even if it's as little as sending our vehicles, then we should certainly do it," Väärsi said.
Väärsi said Europe needs to adapt based on what it's seeing in Ukraine to be ready if necessary.
"What I consider very important is that in Europe we need to learn and very seriously learn what is ongoing in Ukraine: what works, what doesn't work, what mindsets need to be shifted to be better equipped if — hopefully that never happens — but if Russia decides to expand their activities in the warfare."
He said it is important for Western defense companies to have their technology in Ukraine to learn how it performs on the battlefield. His company has made changes to its products as a result of lessons learned.
The company regularly visits Ukraine and works directly with operators and is now taking that a step further with plans for a new team based in Ukraine to "be closer to Ukrainian forces and to support them even better," he said.