DroneUA co-founder predicts robots will replace humans in future battles

“This evolution is inevitable,” Valeriy Yakovenko, co-founder of DroneUA, said on Radio NV. “We must fight technologically and value Ukrainian life, and the only way to do that is to entrust the most dangerous tasks to robots.”

Yakovenko noted that prior to Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine was one of the leading markets for robotics across industries, with its agricultural robotics market larger than the rest of Europe combined.

“We need to use ground robotic systems and combine them with different robotic capabilities, from reconnaissance to destruction,” he said. “All of this must work together, so that humans on the front line are only there to control the systems from a safe location. The goal is a swarm of drones, both aerial and ground, operating together to reclaim our land.”

He added that by mid-2024, Ukraine had made this a strategic priority, recognizing the need for developers of ground systems to strengthen the country’s technological edge.

“Drones aren’t a cure-all,” Yakovenko continued. “We need to counteract the enemy’s ‘meat’ assaults. Ukraine cannot afford that approach — we value our people, unlike the occupiers.”

In July 2024, the Ministry of Defense announced the development of robotic systems to fight in place of humans in frontline positions. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov emphasized the priority of these innovative projects to gain a technological advantage.