Ukraine’s ex-defence minister launches ‘Army of Robots’ initiative

Ukraine’s former defence minister has launched an ‘Army of Robots’ initiative, which aims to invest in defence tech companies and produce robots that “save lives” by replacing soldiers on the frontline. 

Mykhailo Fedorov announced the initiative in a post on X on 26 September, explaining that it will “launch [its] own technology projects, test them with the military, and scale what works on the battlefield.” 

As a first step, Fedorov issued a call for defence tech companies that could contribute to the initiative, as well as announcing a range of available roles.  

What is next for the Army of Robots?  

Currently, robots in Ukraine perform roles such as logistical resupply, evacuations of the wounded, and some combat roles using remote control, or low-level autonomy.  

In terms of what roles robot systems themselves could undertake with greater autonomy, Fedorov says that they are suited to “the most dangerous missions”, such as:  

• Ammunition deliveries  

• Defending positions  

• Demining  

• Engaging targets  

• Evacuating the wounded  

• Reconnaissance  

The next breakthrough 

On its newly established website, the Army of Robots is described as a push towards “full autonomy”, stating that “Ukraine needs its own Manhattan Project for physical AI.”  

The initiative echoes the creation of Ukraine’s ‘Army of Drones’ in 2022, during Fedorov’s tenure as Minister of Digital Transformation, where he spearheaded efforts to catalyse Ukraine’s drone industrial base.   

Since that time, uncrewed systems have come to “account for over 95% of battlefield strikes”, according to Fedorov, who says that Ukraine now “has more than 700 manufacturers of UAVs”.   

With this in mind, Fedorov says that "the robotisation of warfare" is the "next technological breakthrough" to be achieved.