During the Vivaldi offensive operation, UGVs operated by Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps cleared 30 km of routes on one of the directions in the Donetsk region.
The robotic systems cleared the difficult section in just two nights. The same amount of work would have taken approximately a week for two sapper companies.
The use of UGVs allowed the route clearance to be carried out without casualties among Ukrainian military personnel. The robotic systems are used to replace soldiers on the most dangerous sections of the front, including during assault operations, Militarnyi reports.
Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi, commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, emphasized that during assaults, robotic systems and UAVs should operate ahead of the infantry.
According to the corps, UGVs currently account for the neutralization of about 60% of anti-personnel mines within its area of responsibility.
The robots are used not only for mine clearance. They can also remotely lay mines along routes used by Russian forces to advance. One crew can lay mines across up to 200 meters of terrain per day.
The 3rd Army Corps reports that its wheeled and tracked unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have completed over 15,700 successful missions and delivered approximately 3,300 tons of cargo.
UGVs are operated as dedicated units within the corps’ brigades rather than only as individual robotic vehicles. According to the corps, these units cover up to 80% of infantry needs and carry out 90% of evacuations on the front line.
Overall, the corps and attached units have brought 125 square kilometers of territory back under Ukrainian control.
