A Robot Thermopylae – in Ukraine

By Andrew Stuttaford

Saturday, January 31, 2026

 

That war, the martial variant of necessity, is a mother of invention is not exactly news. Compare the arsenals of 1914 with those of 1918, or those of 1939 with those of 1945.

 

And so to this story from Ukraine (via the Daily Mail):

 

A Ukrainian robot armed with a heavy machine gun held off repeated Russian attacks on the eastern front for 45 days without a single soldier at the position.

 

Russian troops were pinned down by relentless gunfire, believing they were facing multiple Ukrainian fighters. Even under the cover of fog and bad weather, they could not break through.

 

In reality, the resistance came from a single unmanned ground vehicle deployed by Ukraine’s Third Army Corps.

 

The robot, known as the DevDroid TW 12.7, is no bigger than a ride-on lawnmower but is armed with a .50-calibre M2 Browning machine gun.

 

It can be operated remotely from up to 15 miles away or navigate terrain using artificial intelligence.

 

Its commander said the machine defended positions that would normally require up to six soldiers, allowing Ukrainian troops to stay out of harm’s way.

 

Or this (via Futurism):

 

[A] video making the rounds on social media appears to show three Russian soldiers emerging from a building with their arms raised and surrendering to a robot armed with a machine gun. One of the soldiers appears to be covered in blood, adding to the sense of surreal darkness. A separate drone appears to be trained on the soldiers as well.

 

This is an image that is both encouraging — at least in this context — in that it shows  outnumbered Ukrainians holding the line. But, for reasons too obvious to relate, it is also unnerving, a preview of what lies ahead far beyond Ukraine. Of course, the Russians have their ground robots, too.

 

China is also known to be taking a keen interest in the new technologies emerging on the battlefields of Ukraine. Better sell them some more chips! (#sarc)

 

A link in the Futurism story takes the reader to an analysis prepared in January by Jamestown, a  think tank focused on Eurasian security and politics. In it, Jamestown relates that Ukraine has become “the world’s leading innovator in unmanned warfare, expanding from aerial and naval drones to large-scale production and battlefield deployment of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).”

 

UGVs are used as mobile weapons (increasingly replacing infantry in high-risk missions, especially those that last for some time), as surveillance tools, and for numerous other functions including mine-clearing, logistical support, and evacuating the wounded (UGVs designed for this purpose “have a steel armored capsule into which the wounded soldier crawls, protecting them from aerial drone attacks.”)

 

UGVs are reshaping tactics on the battlefield at a pace illustrated by a story from last year of a Russian unit by now used to dealing with drones that was surprised to be “hit by ground platforms that exploded and fired at them.”  Much of the element of surprise will presumably have vanished by now, but the UGVs — and their functions — are proliferating.

 

The author of the report argues that Ukraine’s private sector is giving Kyiv an edge in the innovation race which, surprise, surprise, Russia’s unwieldy state-dominated (but I repeat myself) defense sector finds difficult to match. There is a lesson there for the Trump administration as it seeks to increase the government’s involvement in the defense industry.

 

Jamestown:

 

Ninety-nine percent of UGVs are produced in Ukraine by 40 Ukrainian defense companies. These produce 200 UGV models, with an additional 40 appearing this year. . . .

 

Western defense companies have begun jointly manufacturing Ukrainian aerial and sea drones and UGVs. German company ARX Robotics is building a large fleet of GEREON UGVs in Ukraine. The French company Alta Ares is building turbojet interceptor drones with the Ukrainian company Tenebris.