Back in late December 2025, the 13th Charter operational brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine conducted a truly unique operation on the battlefield, in which purely unmanned systems participated - from first person view (FPV) drones and uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) to uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) of various types. The network even called this operation the first-ever attack involving only unmanned systems. This operation was carried out in the Kharkiv region, where the 13th Charter operational brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine performs tasks to defend its homeland.
This combat episode was one of the topics at the International Armoured Vehicle (IAV) conference, which was held in the UK on January 21 to 23 this year.
Read more: Ukraine Got Estonian THeMIS UGV by Milrem Robotics, russia Want Get It Declaring Just $16,500 Bounty, Company Commented on Supply
As the specialized publication Breaking Defense reports, according to an unnamed official "the operation exclusively featured weaponized UGVs and FPV attack drones and did not feature any crewed platforms or boots on the ground". According to the official, UGVs conducted the full spectrum of mission sets including surveillance, mine clearance and direct fire, supported by UASs." The operation was defined by the speaker like "tactical air-land operation" as well as the first instance of an "uncrewed battle fought by one side" in the russia-Ukraine war.
As the publication notes with reference to information previously announced by the National Guard of Ukraine, dozens of various systems participated in the attack. As the publication's own sources told it, one of the robotic complexes that took part in this combat episode was the Ukrainian Ratel S UGV.
The publication's correspondent also spoke with Paul Clayton, director of industrial partnerships at Estonian UGV manufacturer Milrem Robotics (owned by EDGE Group from the UAE), who notes that " Ukraine has been trying to use drones in as many mission sets as possible". Clayton also said that he visited Ukraine in the summer of 2024, where the Ukrainian military "showed off how UGVs were being employed for "first strike" missions with "10 or more UGVs on an objective and achieving victory because they overwhelmed an enemy, getting inside their OODA loop".
For reference: The OODA Loop is a decision-making framework that consists of four stages: observation (O), orientation (O), decision (D), and action (A).
Of course, the operation of UGVs sometimes faces difficulties, such as terrain in bad weather conditions, as well as the operation of enemy electronic warfare equipment etc.
Earlier Azov Brigade showcased Rage 2.0 combat robot in its arsenal.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine officially approved the deployment of the Targan unmanned ground robotic system, developed by Ukrainian engineers, while Ukraine's Armed Forces CinC stated, that introduction of innovative UAVs, robotic platforms into Ukrainian Forces was top priority.
How the Vepr Robotic Platform Surprised russian Forces and Helped the Ukrainian Soldiers Hold Their Position for Two Weeks
Previously, Defense Express reported that Ukrainian Ironclad UGV blastsed russian position with volley of grenades as wel as that Ukrainian UGV Sirko-S1 showed up on battlefield in its testing phase. We also wrote on specifications of the Protector, new multirole UGV by Ukrainian Armor company.
The Ukrainian military turned their attention to UGVs even before Russia's large-scale invasion started in February 2022 and actively tested integrated robotic warfare systems in 2024.
Read more: Ukrainian Ironclad UGV Helps in Assault Operations and Provides Fire Support on the Frontline
