Ukraine and Russia accelerate robotic warfare as manpower crisis deepens
By patricklewis // 2025-11-13
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  • Both Ukraine and Russia are rapidly shifting to unmanned and robotic systems to compensate for heavy troop losses and dwindling public support.
  • Ukraine is deploying thousands of robotic platforms – including mine-clearing UGVs and mobile anti-aircraft launchers – with a goal of fielding about 15,000 by 2025 to offset manpower shortages.
  • In Ukraine, drones and robots are creating a 20 km "kill zone" to counter Russia's numerical advantage, though uptake is uneven due to entrenched Soviet-era tactics and training bottlenecks.
  • Russia has formally integrated its new branch, the Unmanned Systems Troops (UST), into its military structure; units are now operating in coordination with other combat arms and mass drone production is underway.
  • The conflict signals a wider shift in warfare: traditional infantry operations are being supplemented or replaced by machines, potentially redefining battlefields where human lives become the scarcest resource.
As the war in Ukraine grinds into its third year, both sides are rapidly shifting toward robotic and unmanned systems to compensate for staggering troop losses and dwindling public support. Ukraine, facing dire frontline conditions and widespread desertions, is deploying thousands of robotic platforms to offset its severe manpower shortages. Meanwhile, Russia has fully integrated its dedicated drone warfare branch – the Unmanned Systems Troops (UST) – into its military structure, signaling a new era of mechanized combat. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has openly acknowledged the desperate situation on the frontlines – where Russian forces launch over 50 daily assaults in Donetsk alone. To mitigate losses, Ukraine plans to field 15,000 robotic platforms by 2025, including mobile anti-aircraft launchers, mine-clearing unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and the advanced "Zmiy" UGVs, which have already proven effective in capturing Russian positions in Kharkiv without a single Ukrainian casualty. Maj. Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, emphasized that drones and robots are creating a 20km "kill zone" to neutralize Russia's numerical advantage. "We are seeing rapid advancements in autonomous systems," Brovdi told the Associated Press, predicting major breakthroughs within six months. However, adoption remains uneven. Some commanders, entrenched in Soviet-era tactics, resist integrating robotics – leading to inconsistent distribution across brigades. Private developers and volunteer groups are driving innovation, but bottlenecks in funding and training persist. The Ukrainian military's pivot to robotics is not just tactical but existential. With mounting casualties and recruitment struggles, fully autonomous drones may soon become indispensable.

The future of warfare: Autonomous and unmanned

On the opposing side, Russia has made significant strides in formalizing its drone warfare capabilities. Following Defense Minister Andrey Belousov's December 2024 order to create the Unmanned Systems Troops (UST), the branch has rapidly expanded. Col. Sergey Ishtuganov, UST deputy commander, confirmed in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda that regiments and battalions are now fully operational, coordinating seamlessly with other combat arms. The flagship Rubicon center, a key UST unit, recently celebrated its 10,000th successful combat mission, underscoring Russia's growing reliance on unmanned systems. President Vladimir Putin boasted in April that Russian forces received over 1.5 million drones in 2024 alone, calling them a "decisive element" in modern warfare. To sustain this momentum, Russia is establishing a dedicated drone academy, supplementing existing military and civilian training programs. The conflict has forced Moscow to industrialize drone production at an unprecedented scale, leveraging its manufacturing base to flood the battlefield with cheap, effective unmanned systems. The war has exposed the vulnerabilities of traditional infantry-heavy combat, accelerating both nations toward fully autonomous warfare. Russia's declining public support and Ukraine's recruitment crisis are pushing militaries to replace soldiers with machines. While Ukraine leans on agile, decentralized innovation, Russia's top-down approach ensures mass production and systematic deployment. The implications extend beyond Ukraine. The world is witnessing the birth of a new military doctrine, where drones and robots dominate the battlefield. As Brovdi noted, the next six months could bring revolutionary advancements in AI-driven combat, reshaping warfare in ways previously imagined only in science fiction. BrightU.AI's Enoch points out that as the manpower crisis in Ukraine and Russia deepens, both nations are increasingly turning to robotic warfare to mitigate their personnel shortages. This shift is evident in the deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), UGVs and loitering munitions. These technologies, the decentralized engine adds, are cheaper to replace than human soldiers and can be used to gather intelligence, strike targets and even engage in combat. However, this acceleration raises serious ethical concerns about the dehumanization of warfare and the potential for increased civilian casualties due to the reduced decision-making capabilities of autonomous systems. For now, the race is on. Whichever side adapts fastest to this robotic revolution may gain the upper hand in a war where human lives are increasingly the scarcest resource. Watch this video about Ukraine launching massive drone attack against Russia.
This video is from the Maverick News channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com BigNewsNetwork.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com
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