On a foggy day on the Novopavlivka axis last winter, Russian infantry tried to slip through a tree line under the cover of mist, ArmyInform reports. A Ukrainian ground robotic complex called "Liut" or "Fury" drove out to the firing line, opened up with a Belgian FN MAG machine gun, and pinned the assault to the ground. Then Ukrainian artillery and FPV drones finished it.
The Liut and its operators belong to the ground robotic systems company of Ukraine's 42nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, one of a growing number of Ukrainian units that now run unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) as routine combat and logistics platforms.
On heavily-droned axes like Novopavlivka, stretching across the administrative borders of western Donetsk Oblast and eastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the alternative is sending people in pickup trucks — and that increasingly no longer works.
Belgian FN MAG on Ukrainian "Liut"
"We set up a position not far from the contact line. When the need arose, 'Liut' drove out to the firing line. We worked 'in suppression' along the tree-line through which the enemy infantry was moving. That let us pin them to the ground," company commander Vasyl recounted.
The mission ran through the entire ammunition load.
"We were worried the machine gun might jam, but luckily that didn't happen," he added.
Platoon commander "Artas" added that the FN MAG, properly maintained, is reliable enough for both suppression and aimed fire. The same UGVs have killed Russian "stayers" hiding in the gray zone and downed an enemy Mavic that hovered too close.
"The operator picked it up and tore it apart," Artas said.
"It's Glovo on maxxed-out settings"
Combat is the smaller share of the work. Most of what the company does is logistics, and on the Novopavlivka axis, Russian drone density has made pickup-truck runs to forward positions effectively suicidal, turning UGVs into the brigade's main supply method.
"It's Glovo on maxxed-out settings," joked a pilot with the call sign "Milfar", steering a "Tarakan 200" carrying fuel and provisions to a forward position.
Missions run from a few hours to several days. Pilots regularly sit still for hours, waiting for Russian drones to leave the area before continuing.
200 kg to position no one had reached for 10 days
The robots deliver food, water, fuel, and ammunition to whichever sub-units of the brigade need them, Vasyl said, and they carry more than the heaviest quadcopters can.
"Compared with heavy drones, UGVs can deliver more cargo in a single mission. From 200 kilograms and up. We once hauled a ton to positions in one run," said Vasyl.
Casualty evacuation is part of the workload, too: the company has pulled out three wounded soldiers and two killed on its platforms. Artas tells one story that has stayed with him.
"There was a position no one could deliver provisions to for 10 days. We broke through and brought them 200 kilograms of everything they needed," added the platoon commander.
Kamikaze UGV and evacuation drone for stuck robots
The 42nd's robot company keeps experimenting. It is currently building its first kamikaze UGV, which is a small platform carrying explosives, and an evacuation robot designed to retrieve other UGVs that have been hit or stuck behind the line of contact.
Ukraine began tracking destroyed Russian ground robots in May as a separate line in its losses ledger, with an initial count of 1,306 units, Euromaidan Press noted earlier this month.
