Ukraine Boosts Robot Production: Saving Soldiers, Transporting Ammo, Rescuing Civilians

KYIV, Ukraine — After traversing the desolate Lyman grey zone for many hours, dodging shell holes and passing by deceased neighbors, a 77-year-old woman was approached by a robot. Initially mistaking it for a mere blanket, she soon realized it bore a message, hand-painted by an operator: “Grandma, get on!”

The operation on April 25 was conducted by Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps and its Cerberus unmanned ground systems unit, with support from an aerial reconnaissance drone.

This woman had lived in her home for 53 years until it was destroyed by Russian military actions. Alongside her, three other local civilians were safely escorted by drone to a collection point, where they were transferred to an armored vehicle of the 1st Mechanized Battalion, as reported by the 3rd Army Corps on Telegram.

Due to the heavy presence of Russian drones in the airspace, traditional ground evacuation methods were deemed too risky, prompting the use of a robotic rescue.

The same type of unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), typically used for transporting ammunition and evacuating wounded soldiers, is now also being deployed to extract civilians from dangerous zones. These missions sometimes occur within the same week or even using the same robotic platform.

In Ukraine, ground-based robots are inherently designed for multiple uses.

Four years prior, a grandmother from Kyiv became a folk hero when she reportedly knocked down a Russian drone using a jar of pickled tomatoes, an incident highlighted by Business Insider.

Presently, the Cerberus unit utilizes these robots for both ammunition transportation and casualty evacuation, operating along the same routes in Lyman where they recently rescued the elderly woman, according to the 3rd Army Corps.

The strategic use of unmanned systems is considered a core military doctrine in Ukraine, not merely an ad hoc solution, as explained by commanders within Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS).

“The SBS is tasked with a broad spectrum of operations including offensive strikes, mine deployment, logistical support, engineering tasks, and medical evacuations,” stated Heorhii Khvystani, chief of staff at the Unmanned Systems Battalion of Ukraine’s 58th Separate Motorized Brigade, during a panel at the Lviv Drone Autonomy Conference.

“UGVs are pivotal for logistical support and evacuation operations at the frontlines. In March alone, over 9,000 missions were carried out using these robots,” said Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on April 18.

The ministry aims to have all frontline logistics managed by robotic systems in the near future.

The Defense Ministry has planned to integrate 25,000 UGVs in the first half of 2026, more than doubling the previous year’s total. Additionally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently announced the production of 50,000 ground robots for the current year, aiming to establish a robotic force larger than some nations’ entire armies.

“The primary objective of these ground robots is to decrease human risk on the battlefield,” he added.

Ukrainian forces have been systematically employing these dual-use UGVs for various missions. On the same day the elderly woman was rescued from Lyman, another UGV was used by the “Lut” Brigade and 100th Brigade to extract a wounded soldier from the “Luhansk” assault brigade following a Russian ambush, as reported by UNITED24 Media.

Earlier in April, Ukraine’s 1st Separate Medical Battalion conducted six robotic medical evacuation operations in a single day, with two UGVs covering approximately 185 miles (300 km) combined, according to Defence Blog.

Thanks to these robotic platforms, Ukraine’s General Staff has reported up to a 30% reduction in personnel casualties.

Ukrainian military leaders consider these technologies critical for enhancing troop survivability. “An autonomous solution is fundamentally a tool designed to alleviate the burdens faced by humans,” explained Yevhenii Lesin, deputy commander of Ukraine’s renowned 412th Brigade “Nemesis,” at the Lviv conference attended by Khvystani.