Ukraine is moving towards developing robots that could take part in warfare. Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Saturday that the country is launching the “Army of Robots”, a new initiative aimed at developing robotic systems that can undertake dangerous missions and reduce risks to human lives.
“The goal is simple — save lives. Robots should take on the most dangerous missions: evacuating the wounded, delivering ammunition, mining and demining, reconnaissance, defending positions and engaging targets,” Fedorov said in a post on X.
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Fedorov said the Army of Robots would be more than a single company, describing it as an ecosystem. Under the initiative, Ukraine will invest in defence-tech companies, launch its own technology projects, develop research and development capabilities, test systems with the military and scale up technologies that prove effective on the battlefield.
“The Army of Robots is not one company. It’s an ecosystem. We will invest in defense tech companies, launch our own technology projects, test them with the military and scale what works on the battlefield,” said Fedorov.
{{/usCountry}}“The Army of Robots is not one company. It’s an ecosystem. We will invest in defense tech companies, launch our own technology projects, test them with the military and scale what works on the battlefield,” said Fedorov.
{{/usCountry}}In the same X post, Fedorov also called on defence-tech companies and engineers working on robotics to join the initiative. He also sought a CTO or tech lead for the Army of Robots.
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The initiative builds on Ukraine’s experience with its Army of Drones programme, launched in 2022. Fedorov said the next technological breakthrough Ukraine is pursuing is the robotisation of warfare. He has also highlighted Ukraine’s extensive use of drones on the battlefield.
The announcement comes as the Russia-Ukraine war is in its fifth year, with both sides continuing to exchange strikes.
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On Sunday, Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least two people overnight, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian authorities said Russian strikes on Kyiv and its suburbs damaged more than 16 sites, including residential and industrial facilities. Russia’s defence ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had carried out overnight drone strikes targeting logistics centres, port and transport infrastructure, communications facilities and vessels that Moscow said were linked to the Ukrainian military.
At the same time, Russia said a Ukrainian drone attack on Saturday killed three people. Russian authorities said the strikes targeted industrial facilities, while Russian media cited by Al Jazeera reported that an oil refinery was among the targets.