Indian Defence Planners, Take Note! Ukraine Now Using Rifle-Wielding Robots To Battle Russia
New Delhi: While most armies are still figuring out how to use drones effectively, Ukraine has already moved to the next frontier – remote-controlled ground robots that carry rifles, hurl grenades and take the fight to Russian trenches without risking a single soldier's life.
In what sounds straight out of a sci-fi thriller, Ukrainian soldiers are now deploying weaponised robots in combat zones to take on Russian forces head-on. These are not the humanoid machines of Hollywood dreams, but something far more practical and real. Mounted on wheels or tracks, some look like tripods with guns, while others are miniature tanks with automated grenade launchers strapped to their backs.
Oleksandr Yabchanka, the head of robotic systems for Ukraine's Da Vinci Wolves Battalion, called the tech a 'game changer' for soldiers in the field. Business Insider has quoted him as saying that even the bravest infantry cannot keep firing under intense shelling but these robots can.
Indian defence planners, take note. While India debates the use of quadcopters and kamikaze drones, Ukraine has leapt ahead – fielding an evolving arsenal of ground-based killer bots. And they are not prototypes sitting in hangars, these machines are being tested, refined and modified live on the battlefield.
Yabchanka draws a wild comparison that makes the tech sound even more insane. He likens Ukraine's grenade-launching bots to the iconic weapon wielded by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, saying, 'They are somewhat similar, but slightly better.'
One such killer bot is the Burya – a remote grenade-launching turret that can be mounted on a tripod or a small vehicle. Another recent addition is the D-21-12R, an indigenous robotic beast equipped with a US-made Browning .50 caliber machine gun.
Approved in April by Ukraine's defence ministry, this machine could give nightmares to any enemy squad.
But there is a catch. These war machines still face technical limitations. Russian jamming and direct hits can knock them offline – turning them into nothing more than expensive scrap metal. That is one reason why they have not so far been deployed in large numbers, though their battlefield effectiveness continues to improve.
Lessons for India
Ukraine's wartime innovation lab is like no other. Companies from Ukraine, Estonia and beyond are in a technological race to outsmart Russian forces. Estonian firm Milrem Robotics, for instance, has already supplied its THeMIS Unmanned Ground Vehicles to Ukraine. These rugged bots can haul supplies or launch attacks where human soldiers cannot go.
Back home, this is a wake-up call. With India facing regular border stand-offs, especially with Pakistan and China, and gearing up for future conflicts in extreme terrains, why are not ground robots part of the military doctrine yet? Ukraine's battlefield data, gathered in real-time, proves that these robots are not sci-fi, they are survival tech.
Yabchanka, who regularly liaises with developers from the frontlines, says the feedback loop between soldiers and engineers has become a major strength for Ukraine. 'What was relevant six months ago is already outdated,' he told the publication, stressing that Europe and the West must co-develop with Ukraine.
As Ukraine continues to weaponise AI and automation, the question is no longer if but when countries like India will follow suit. Will Indian troops someday be supported by robotic gun crews on the icy heights of Ladakh or the dense jungles of the Northeast?
If the Ukraine war is any indication, the next battle will not only be fought with muscle but with machines as well. And they have already started pulling the trigger.
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