Ukraine wants robots doing all frontline logistics. Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced plans to contract 25,000 ground robotic systems in the first half of 2026, doubling what they bought in all of 2025. The Defense Procurement Agency has already signed 19 contracts worth 11 billion UAH with domestic manufacturers. Fedorov's stated goal: "100% of frontline logistics should be performed by robotic systems."
The numbers tell the story. Ukrainian forces ran more than 9,000 logistics and evacuation missions using ground robots in March alone. Roughly 21,500 missions across Q1 2026. Procurement is shifting to longer timelines too, giving companies advance contracts for the following year so they can stabilize production and supply chains.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion, ground robotics has expanded to more than 280 companies building over 550 active solutions. State-backed cluster Brave1 has handed out 175 grants to developers and is now establishing a competence center to coordinate between manufacturers and the Armed Forces. Fedorov called ground robotics one of the fastest-growing sectors in Ukraine's defense tech landscape.
These robots have already changed combat. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the first confirmed capture of a Russian position entirely by unmanned systems, with no infantry involved and no Ukrainian casualties. Drones and ground platforms forced Russian troops to surrender.
Fedorov said the focus now is on "low-cost and effective strike ground systems that the state can scale quickly."