Ukraine said Tuesday that its forces captured a Russian military position using only drones and ground-based robotic systems, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling it the first such assault of the war carried out without infantry.
"For the first time in the history of this war, an enemy position was taken exclusively by unmanned platforms — ground systems and drones," Zelenskyy said in a statement, adding that "the occupiers surrendered, and this operation was carried out without the participation of infantry and without losses on our side."
Ukrainian officials did not disclose the location of the seized position, and the claim could not be independently verified.
The announcement illustrates how deeply the battlefield has shifted toward remote warfare as Russia’s full-scale invasion enters its fifth year, with both sides relying more heavily on drones, electronic warfare, and dispersed assaults to break a grinding stalemate along much of the front.
Ukraine has accelerated development of unmanned systems as it seeks to offset manpower shortages and reduce risks to soldiers in some of the war's deadliest sectors.
Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly highlighted drone production and battlefield robotics as central to Kyiv’s military strategy, adding that more than 80% of enemy targets are now being destroyed by unmanned systems.
According to Ukrainian statements, robotic platforms have carried out more than 22,000 missions in the past three months. Those systems have been used for logistics, evacuation, mine clearing, weapons delivery and direct attacks, while aerial drones have become one of the defining weapons of the conflict.
Military analysts have long said the war in Ukraine is reshaping modern combat, but the reported seizure of a Russian position without any infantry involvement could mark a new threshold, putting unmanned systems into a role traditionally reserved for frontline assault troops.
A CSIS analysis last year said the war had already become a proving ground for rapid drone innovation, with lessons likely to influence NATO and other militaries.
The development is also likely to draw scrutiny from Ukraine's Western backers, which have been studying the war's technological evolution while expanding joint production of drones and other defense systems with Kyiv.
Germany and Ukraine announced a new defense cooperation agreement Tuesday focused in part on advanced drones and military technology.
Despite the breakthrough, the broader war remains brutal and unsettled. Russian missile and drone attacks have continued to hit Ukrainian cities and civilians in recent days, while fighting persists across eastern and southern sectors of the front.
Ukraine has scored some tactical gains and increasingly relies on long-range strikes and battlefield automation, but the war remains a contest of attrition with no immediate end in sight.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.