Putin's Troops Surrender Position To Robots For First Time: Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv’s troops have retaken territory from Russia using only unmanned robots for the first time in the war.

Zelensky said that Russian soldiers “surrendered” when they were met exclusively with ground systems and drones, in an advance that was carried out “without infantry and without losses on ours side.” He did not reveal where the advance occurred.

Zelensky added that ground robotic systems had carried out more than 22,000 missions on the frontline in just three months, saving thousands of lives.

“In other words, lives were saved more than 22,000 times when a robot went into the most dangerous areas instead of a warrior,” he wrote on X. “This is about high technology protecting the highest value – human life.”

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 2:01 AM.