Ukraine’s Deployment of a Gun-Equipped Robot via Sea Drone in Southern Ukraine

Ukraine has utilized a sea drone to deliver a gun-equipped robot into Russian-controlled territory in southern Ukraine for the first time, according to soldiers active in the region. A 57-second video, released by Ukraine’s 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade drone specialists, shows a ground robot on a floating platform moving toward a narrow shoreline. Upon reaching land, the robot rolls off the sea drone, which then rapidly retreats into the water. Another camera captures the robot firing at a distant target. Newsweek has not independently confirmed the video’s authenticity.

Drones used in the Ukrainian battlefield see continuous upgrades, with global militaries observing Russia and Ukraine’s experimentation with the latest ground-based, airborne, and maritime drones. While Ukraine’s flying drones and uncrewed explosive boats are widely recognized, the country’s expanding fleet of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) garners less attention, although these devices are becoming increasingly critical in ongoing conflicts.

Both Russia and Ukraine, facing the need to maintain their soldier ranks amidst the prolonged warfare of nearly four and a half years, deploy robots to protect human lives during various missions. These missions range from evacuating wounded soldiers to laying mines or advancing to a target for detonation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned in April that Ukrainian forces had successfully reclaimed territory from Russia using robots exclusively for the first time. The 1st Unmanned Systems Battalion of the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade referred to this as a “new approach to war” on Telegram.

Key Position Targeted

An animation in the brigade’s video indicated that the drones were launched from Ukrainian-held territory along the southern coast to the northern edge of the Kinburn Spit. This spit is situated at the mouth of the Dnieper River and influences vessels entering and leaving the Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv. Analysts suggest Russian forces have used the spit for launching artillery strikes on Ukrainian territories across the water.

Russia secured this strip of land shortly after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine commenced in February 2022 and has retained control over the spit despite Ukrainian incursions. However, Ukrainian forces in the south reported in late June that Ukraine’s national flag was flying over the Kinburn Spit following operations that pushed Russia to vacate certain defensive positions. Nonetheless, a Ukrainian navy spokesperson soon clarified that while some Russian forces were driven back, Moscow had not entirely left the spit.

In early October, a prominent Russian military blogger stated that the Ukrainian forces had severely hindered Russian logistics around the Kinburn Spit, complicating Russia’s operations in the area.