As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth year, remotely-operated ground robots have become a startlingly common sight on the battlefield.
According to the defense policy think tank, the Jamestown Foundation, Ukraine has turned into a world leader in unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), allowing the country’s military to coordinate robotic warfare while reducing casualties.
Now, a video making the rounds on social media appears to show three Russian soldiers emerging from a building with their arms raised and surrendering to a robot armed with a machine gun. One of the soldiers appears to be covered in blood, adding to the sense of surreal darkness. A separate drone appears to be trained on the soldiers as well.
According to the Ukrainian military news outlet Militarnyi, the robot was a reconnaissance-strike ground unit dubbed Droid TW, built by Ukrainian defense company DevDroid. The washing machine-sized platform uses AI to autonomously identify targets and can shoot 7.62mm caliber rounds. The robot was developed at the request of the First Medical Battalion of the Ukrainian army, which was seeking a way to evacuate wounded soldiers under heavy fire — but considering the footage, the army may have found a different use for it as well.
A ground-based robotic complex captures three Russian soldiers. Zero Ukrainian casualties.
This is how Ukraine fights in 2026.
During a combat mission, Ukraine deployed the Droid TW-7.62 ground robot and forced 3 Russians troops to surrender. — Militarnyi. pic.twitter.com/dEDMpECZoB — Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) January 28, 2026
The Jamestown Foundation noted that Ukrainian UVGs are “increasingly replacing infantry in high-risk missions, providing sustained firepower, engineering support, and resilience against electronic warfare, terrain challenges, and prolonged deployments.”
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