Russians repel attack by Ukrainian ground-robots armed with RPGs, in futuristic assault (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,716)
Ukrainian commander Andriy Biletsky is gambling on mass robot assaults to spare his soldiers’ lives, as Russian troops rush to prove on camera that they can still swat the machines from the sky and fields around Lyman.
Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps sent dozens of robots into an attack. This was the same formation that carried out the successful Vivaldi operation near Lyman.
During that operation, the corps had already used various innovative methods of deploying drones. Among other things, heavy aircraft transported armed ground drones deep behind Russian lines, catching Russian defences by surprise.
Now, units under the command of Andriy Biletsky tried another innovation. So far, the course and outcome of the fighting are known only from Russian sources. Other information may emerge over time, but for now the attempt can be considered unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, it is an extraordinary example of how an army suffering from a manpower shortage and seeking to protect its limited resources uses modern technology. It also suggests how drones could help break the deadlock at the front and shift from static to mobile warfare.
The Russians claim that as many as 28 drones attacked without the direct involvement of a single Ukrainian soldier in combat.
The Russian Telegram channel Military Informant counted two drones armed with US-made Mk 19 grenade launchers, 18 drones equipped with two RPGs each, and eight kamikaze drones loaded with explosives among those involved in the attack.
Roman Pataj is Head of the Opinion section at Denník N and, since 2022, the author of the Ukrainian Battlefield update. He graduated in political science and has worked as a journalist since 2002.
