Ukraine begins mass use of robotic systems to assault Russian positions

He addressed the topic of assaults carried out without human involvement, responding to a question about a recent example in which Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade conducted such an operation — capturing an enemy position and even taking several Russian soldiers prisoner.

“I’ll probably surprise you a little now, but similar operations have already been carried out — and more than once,” said the commander of the ground robotic systems company of the 93rd Motorized Rifle Brigade, known by the call sign "Electryc." “True, without such a striking effect as capturing prisoners. That really is the first case. But we began practicing assaults using unmanned systems about two years ago. It just wasn’t mainstream — few people talked about it, showed it, or reported it — but it was happening.”

According to Electryc, these types of operations are now being more actively promoted and popularized, much like the emergence of FPV drones, which date back to 2015. He recalled that DJI drones had been used as early as 2014, but widespread public attention only came in 2022.

“The same goes for ground drones. They were also used during the ATO (Anti-Terrorist Operation),” he said. “Unfortunately, at that time there was only one manufacturer in Ukraine. Now it's becoming more common — because we’re forced to do it. Whether we want to or not, we simply don’t have enough people. That’s why these systems are gradually proving their worth.”

He said the use of unmanned systems is no longer limited to isolated cases and is now being scaled up. “We’re already transitioning to near-mass use — like we did in our time with Mavics and FPV drones,” Electryc added.

On July 9, Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade reported it had conducted an unprecedented operation in Kharkiv Oblast — carried out entirely without infantry, with zero losses, and 100% effectiveness. Enemy positions were attacked using FPV drones and ground-based kamikaze robotic systems. One of the robots approached a destroyed dugout when the Russian troops, fearing detonation, surrendered.