The growing role of fighting robots on the ground in Ukraine
Drones already fill the skies. Now uncrewed vehicles are heading to the front lines
SINCE RUSSIA’S full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, drones have shaped the fighting. Both sides pummel the enemy with cheap kamikaze models and use long-range craft to strike targets far from the front lines. In the Black Sea Ukrainian naval drones have helped to inflict serious damage on Russia’s fleet. But so far, ground robots have featured little in the conflict. Is that about to change?
Explore more
More from The Economist explains
Would legal doping change the Olympics?
The impact would be smaller—and worse—than proponents of drug-taking claim
Do vice-presidential picks matter?
If they have any effect on an election’s result, it is at the margins
What led to the bitter controversy over an Olympics boxing match?
A mighty punch by an Algerian boxer has revived a politically charged dispute
Is this the end of Project 2025, the plan that riled Donald Trump?
The right-wing blueprint for governing has taken centre-stage in America’s presidential campaign
Who should control Western Sahara?
France becomes the latest country to back Morocco’s claim
Who are the Druze, the victims of a deadly strike on Israel?
The religious minority has often been caught up in regional crossfire in the Middle East