As Ukraine's kill zone pushed deeper into Russian rear areas, Moscow began increasingly copying Ukrainian ground drone tactics — according to Army Inform. A communications officer from the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Kost Hordiienko says Ukrainian forces are already destroying Russia's unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) — land drones — near Vovchansk, in what she calls a "tech duel."
Kill zone forces both sides off vehicles
Ruslana Bohdan, the brigade's communications officer, describes the Vovchansk direction as defined by a large kill zone that significantly shapes the course of fighting. Car movement in the zone is now nearly impossible — every vehicle becomes a target.
"Both we and the Russians use ATVs and unmanned ground systems for logistics," she said. "This is an answer to the challenge when moving in the kill zone by car has become nearly impossible, because every car is a target for the enemy."
As Euromaidan Press reported earlier, Ukrainian drone pressure had already driven Russian forces to abandon armored vehicles entirely near Vovchansk by early 2026, leaving them reliant on foot soldiers and improvised supply methods.
Russia copying Ukraine's ground drone tactics — Ukraine destroying them anyway
Russia lags behind Ukraine in unmanned ground vehicle development, but has begun deploying its own robotic systems in the sector, Bohdan said. Ukrainian forces have already eliminated both logistical and combat variants of Russia's ground systems near Vovchansk.
"The enemy has not developed ground drones as we have, but in the Vovchansk direction, we have already destroyed both logistical and combat unmanned ground systems of the enemy," she said. "There aren't as many of them compared to motorcycles, but Russia has UGVs, and we understand they will also develop this direction. The occupiers are mirroring our tactics — this is a technological duel, an answer to each other's various challenges of this war."
Kill zone reaches into adjacent Belgorod Oblast in Russia
Ukraine's objective is to extend the kill zone deep enough to disrupt Russian supply lines. Bohdan said Russian forces are already pulling equipment back — including into Belgorod Oblast territory — because Ukrainian drones reach them there too.
"Our task is to deepen the kill zone as much as possible to completely paralyze their logistics," she said. "They are already pulling equipment further from the front, including in [Russia's] Belgorod Oblast territory, because we reach them there too. We burn vehicles, hit artillery systems."
Russian assault groups continue to advance on foot along routes already marked by unrecovered bodies of the troops who went before — receiving constant replacements and maintaining pressure on Ukrainian Defense Forces positions despite the losses.
A cat, a robot, and the ruins of Vovchansk
The brigade shared a lighter moment alongside the frontline reporting. Days earlier, Army Inform published a video of one of the 57th Brigade's ground drones encountering a local cat— the animal curiously reacted to the machine, climbing on it to investigate before moving off.
Bohdan added that many pets remain abandoned in the Vovchansk area — animals that could not be evacuated and have since largely gone feral. Whenever possible, soldiers try to help the cats and dogs that still seek out human contact.
