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Ukraine Carries Out World’s First Sea Drone-to-Ground Robot Assault Mission
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukraine has carried out what its military describes as the world’s first known combat operation in which an unmanned surface vessel transported and deployed an armed ground robot behind Russian positions on temporarily occupied territory.
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The mission took place on the Russian-occupied Kinburn Spit in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, where operators from Ukraine’s 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade remotely guided an unmanned maritime platform across the Black Sea before landing an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) on the occupied shoreline, according to the brigade on July 13.
No soldiers. Just machines.
— Ivan Khomenko (@KhomenkoIv60065) July 13, 2026
Ukraine has carried out the world's first known combat mission in which a sea drone transported and deployed an armed ground robot behind Russian lines on the occupied Kinburn Spit. pic.twitter.com/zyJdFXWxVb
After reaching the coast, the robotic vehicle was deployed and sent to carry out a combat mission behind Russian lines.
In a statement, the brigade called it “the first known combat mission of this format in the world,” saying that “the ground robotic complex was delivered to the enemy shore using an unmanned maritime platform, landed on occupied Ukrainian territory, and employed to accomplish a combat task.”
According to the brigade, the operation was conducted under the command of Colonel Oleh Makukha, commander of the 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade, with direct coordination by Major Denys Hipik, commander of the brigade’s 1st Unmanned Systems Battalion.
The military did not officially identify the robotic platform used in the operation. However, footage released by the brigade suggests it may have been the Ukrainian-made Rys unmanned ground vehicle produced by Roboneers and armed with a PKT machine gun.
The Rys family of robotic systems is already used by Ukrainian forces for logistics, casualty evacuation, engineering missions, and combat support. Some variants can also carry specialized modules for mine-laying and demining operations.
The Kinburn Spit remains one of the most contested coastal areas in southern Ukraine, where Russian surveillance, artillery, and drone activity make conventional amphibious operations highly risky. The use of an unmanned surface vessel to insert an armed ground robot offers a way to conduct missions on occupied territory without exposing soldiers to direct danger.
Ukraine has increasingly integrated ground robotic systems into frontline operations. In June, the 115th Mechanized Brigade reported using an armed ground robot to provide fire support while clearing Russian troops from the village of Novoplatonivka in the Kharkiv region, demonstrating the expanding combat role of unmanned ground vehicles.
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