Ukraine's former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced the launch of the "Army of Robots" project, which aims to scale up the use of robotic systems on the front line and reduce risks to military personnel. The project involves investment in defence tech companies, in-house R&D, and joint testing of solutions with the Defence Forces.
Fedorov announced this during the IT Arena event in Lviv.
According to him, following the expansion of the "Drone Army", the next technological frontier should be the robotisation of warfare. Fedorov stated that the most dangerous tasks should gradually be transferred from military personnel to robotic systems.
These include, in particular, the evacuation of the wounded, the delivery of ammunition, mine-laying and clearance, reconnaissance, the defence of positions and the engagement of targets. Ground-based robotic systems are already carrying out some of these tasks on the front line.
According to Fedorov, the "robot army" is intended to be not just a single company's project, but an entire ecosystem. The plan is to invest in Ukrainian defence tech companies, create in-house technology projects and R&D initiatives, test developments in collaboration with the military, and rapidly scale up solutions that prove effective on the battlefield.
Fedorov also cited Russia's ability to rapidly replicate and scale up military technologies as one of the main challenges. Therefore, he said, Ukraine needs to constantly develop the next technological cycle ahead of its adversary.
At IT Arena, it was announced that they were looking for companies and engineers working in the field of robotics. The team is also seeking a CTO or Tech Lead for the "Robot Army".
Fedorov had previously spoken about the idea of a large-scale "Army of Robots". Back in 2023, he stated that, following the "Army of Drones", Ukraine planned to develop a separate programme of robotic systems.
An article written by Karina Levytska (Suspilne), initially published on 26 September 2026, 16:36 (CEST)
