The War in Ukraine Is Fought on Horseback Against Drones Carrying Machine Guns

The war in Ukraine is one of robots and horses. It’s WW1-style trench warfare with modern killing machines. As Kyiv is perfecting the art of lethal drones on the ground, sea, and air, Moscow has turned to hauling supplies across the battlefield using donkeys and horses.

Aerial drones have long been a critical component of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Both sides employ them to monitor the battlefield and kill the enemy. In the past few months, ground drones have entered the mix in a big way. A new report from the Wall Street Journal detailed a Ukrainian assault on a Russian bunker in Kharkiv back in December that was conducted entirely by killer robots.

The assault involved 50 aerial drones (UAVs) supporting groups of unmanned land vehicles (UGVs), some of which carried explosives and machine guns. The UAVs provided targeting information as the UGVs barrel forward, cleared out enemy positions, and sometimes exploded.

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A recent report at Radio Free Europe had more details about the Ukrainian UGVs as well as a video of them in action. In the video, which is shot from above, a little four-wheeled machine the size of an ATV navigates a tank-littered roadway and fires a machine gun toward the enemy.

The use of robots is widespread and necessary in the war in Ukraine. The Russian military, augmented by some North Korean troops, outnumbers Ukraine 5 to 1. Human soldiers are too valuable to the war effort to risk, but Ukraine can manufacture machines that carry out dangerous tasks instead.

A few years ago, several videos of robot dogs firing assault rifles went viral online, stoking fears that ground drones would soon carry weapons of war on the battlefield. That’s come to pass, though robot dogs are better suited to spying and reconnaissance. They can’t carry a heavy load and lose their balance when firing a weapon.

Typical UGVs are sturdy contraptions that sit low to the ground and run on tank treads or four large wheels. That setup helps them navigate the mud and debris typical of an Eastern European battlefield. But the wheels and treads of the UGVs can only do so much in mud and Ukrainian operators have told reporters (and their followers on Telegram) that navigating the wet dirt is still a pernicious problem.

Russia has UGVs too. They look like small tanks and Russian state media has published quite a few videos in the past few weeks showing them off. Like the Ukrainian UGVs, the Russian robots can wield machine guns, deliver explosives, and ferry supplies to the frontlines. Videos have also surfaced online of the machines carrying the dead away from the frontlines.

Russian state media shows selected footage of Russian combat UGVs on trials. The soldier who is interviewed implied that there were UGV vs. UGV battles, with Russian vehicles coming up on Ukrainian wheeled platforms and allegedly destroying them. https://t.co/KobTTT75I1 https://t.co/EprQcfNJ96 pic.twitter.com/Oc9dh5vlU2

— Samuel Bendett (@sambendett) March 18, 2025

The Russians are also using a more low-tech method to move supplies and communications around the battlefield: horses and donkeys. A few weeks ago, videos surfaced on Telegram of Russian soldiers using the animals to move around the frontlines.

Along with donkeys, some Russian units have begun using horses to transport supplies. https://t.co/GZaOXZFzUJ pic.twitter.com/D8frR3ztez

— Special Kherson Cat