Ukraine to Deploy Drone Swarms and Thousands of Robotic Ground Vehicles to Frontlines in 2025

Ukraine will require tens of thousands of uncrewed robotic ground vehicles (UGVs) next year to transport ammunition, supplies, and evacuate wounded soldiers from the frontlines, Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told Reuters in an interview on December 2.

“This year we purchased several thousand ground platforms, and next year, I believe, we need tens of thousands,” Fedorov said, highlighting the rapid shift toward automation on the battlefield.

The UGVs, resembling buggy-like vehicles, are already in use on the frontlines and even in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces made advances in August.

Fedorov confirmed that Ukraine is developing AI-augmented drones capable of autonomous targeting, even in areas with heavy jamming.

“We might see the first real drone swarm uses, though not on a massive scale. The first steps will happen,” he said.

Ukraine has already contracted 1.6 million drones this year, with 1.3 million delivered, including low-cost FPV drones. Additionally, domestic companies are testing drones designed to intercept Russia’s Shahed drones, with promising results in the research phase.

Fedorov emphasized the evolving role of drones in Ukraine’s defense strategy, noting that long-range drone production has increased rapidly since 2023. He also stated that Ukraine already has drones with a 1,120-mile (1800 km) range.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine “plans to produce 30,000 long-range attack drones in 2025”, Fedorov remarked.

“Russia has been launching thousands of long-range drones each month, often using decoy drones to exhaust our air defenses,” Fedorov explained.

“We’re also deploying decoy drones, sometimes launching more on a single night than Russia.”

Earlier, Mykhailo Fedorov announced that Ukraine surpassed the President’s directive to deliver one million drones to the frontlines in 2024.