Facing Manpower Shortages, Ukraine Turns to Robotic Warriors

What Happened?

As David Axe of Forbes reported this week:

‘A Ukrainian national guard brigade just orchestrated an all-robot combined-arms operation, mixing crawling and flying drones for an assault on Russian positions in Kharkiv Oblast in northern Ukraine.’

The Russian Ministry of Defense has yet to comment. But according to Ukrainian sources Russian forces near Lyptsi were destroyed by the coordinated drone attack.

Why it Matters

Unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned ground vehicles have been used extensively by both Ukraine and Russia since the Russian invasion began in 2022.

But this week’s operation near Kharkiv by Ukraine represents the first known instance that a force consisting entirely of remotely operated drones have been victorious against conventional human military troops.

The battle represents both a step forward and a concern for Ukraine.

The technology required to carry out such an attack is impressive. But the use of remotely operated drones suggests a worrisome loss of manpower for Ukraine.

Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have suffered significant casualties since the start of the full-scall war in 2022. But exact numbers are difficult to come by because both sides exaggerate each other’s losses while underreporting their own casualties.

With few independent observers present on the battlefield, the precise number of casualties will likely remain unknown for some time.

As Newsweek reported this week:

‘Drones on the battlefield will continue to play an increasingly important role for Ukrainian forces to offset troop shortages and the prospect of dwindling foreign military aid in 2025. Russian forces are maintaining battlefield momentum along the front having made gains in the Donetsk region where they are bearing down upon the logistics hub of Pokrovsk. It means that technological innovation will become even more critical for Ukraine to fight Russian aggression.’

How it Affects You

Recent drone sightings over U.S. military bases and government installations indicate the United States is not yet equipped to face an enemy with significant drone capabilities.

While the U.S. military has developed counter-drone technologies, these new capabilities aren’t yet operational at most military bases.

During the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, many different sides used the conflict as a laboratory to test new innovations, at that time aircraft and tanks. Lessons learned from Spain were applied to deadly effect only a few years later in the Second World War.

Today, Ukraine has become a similar weapons testing ground for new drone technologies. The United States military would do well to recognize that warfare is once again undergoing a significant change.

It is likely lessons learned about the use of drones will be applied in the next major conflict, and whoever learns those lessons correctly stands to benefit at the expense of their enemies.

For both Ukraine and Russia, drones will likely continue to offer a way to offset manpower shortages facing both nations.