For the first time since the start of the large-scale invasion, Ukrainian forces managed to capture a Russian position without committing a single ground soldier. The operation, revealed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and relayed by Euromaidan Press, was carried out exclusively using drones and unmanned ground vehicles (VTSP), marking a symbolic step in Ukraine’s technological war against Russia. According to the president, the Russian troops would have ended up surrendering, without direct confrontation with the Ukrainian infantry.
Over the past three months, Ukrainian units have conducted more than 22,000 missions using these unmanned vehicles. Many different systems have been developed and deployed by Ukrainian fighters, forming the core of a new tactical approach, where battlefield robotization is gradually supplanting traditional methods.
In his speech, Volodymyr Zelensky made a point of saluting the work of all those participating in this collective effort: engineers, technicians, workers, researchers and operators. “Thank you to all those who, in the workshops, laboratories, design offices and testing areas, work every day for Ukraine”the president said, emphasizing that national innovation now plays a vital role in the country’s defense.
The head of state believes that Ukraine has today become “irreplaceable thanks to its experience, expertise and technologies”. This distinction, won at the cost of a brutal conflict, positions the country as a military and industrial laboratory where a new form of connected warfare is being invented.
Ukraine turned towards Europe
During a videoconference addressed to defense industry professionals, Volodymyr Zelensky also unveiled several Ukrainian-designed weapons, including new generation drones and missiles such as the Flamingo model. He highlighted the record range of certain devices, capable of operating up to 1,750 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
For the Ukrainian president, these unprecedented distances are not intended to establish technological records, but to demonstrate that“a justice capable of finding evil everywhere in the world” is now possible.
At the same time, Ukraine is continuing its discussions with its European partners to fully integrate into the continent’s future air defense architecture. “Either Ukraine becomes an inseparable part of the European security system, or some in Europe risk becoming part of the Russian world”warned Volodymyr Zelensky.
A foreign delegation visiting kyiv also had the opportunity to discover the latest developments in the Ukrainian defense industry. This opening towards allies aims to consolidate a common technological front in the face of the persistent threat from Moscow.
These announcements come in a context where the Ukrainian “Drone Line”, a program worth 880 million dollars (approximately 747 million euros) and operational since March 2025, has proven devastating. In one winter, this line of drones caused the deaths of around 30,000 Russian soldiers, ensuring continuous coverage of the assault corridors.
