Ukraine carries out new attack using only robotic systems – ISW

Ukrainian troops have conducted a ground attack using exclusively unmanned ground vehicles and FPV drones for the first time. The operation underscores Ukraine's commitment to implementing technological innovations in its warfare.

Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW) 

Details: In its assessment for 20 December, the ISW cited Sergeant Volodymyr Dehtiarov, the spokesman for the Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, who reported an attack by the Ukrainian defence forces on the positions of the Russians near the village of Lyptsi, located north of Kharkiv.

The date of the attack is not mentioned, nor are the exact positions where the fighting took place. It is noted that the Ukrainian forces used dozens of robotic systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with machine guns, as well as drones to place and disarm mines in Russian positions. As a result of the operation, Russian positions were successfully destroyed.

Quote from the ISW: "Ukrainian officials have repeatedly highlighted Ukraine's efforts to utilise technological innovations and asymmetric strike capabilities to offset Ukraine's manpower limitations in contrast with Russia's willingness to accept unsustainable casualty rates for marginal territorial gains."

Details: The report also states that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported the completion of tests of new drones attached to fibre-optic cables. Such devices are more resistant to electronic warfare, which Russia actively uses.

A Ukrainian drone manufacturing company reported that it recently assembled a prototype of the first FPV drone made exclusively from components produced in Ukraine.

To quote the ISW’s Key Takeaways on 20 December:  

• Russian ballistic missile strikes damaged several embassies in central Kyiv on the morning of 20 December.
• Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted their first attack solely using unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and first-person view (FPV) drones, highlighting Ukraine's ongoing efforts to leverage technological innovation into ground operations.
• Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced his intention to orient Russia's political and ideological priorities for 2025 around Russian veterans.
• The Kremlin continues to scapegoat Kursk Oblast civil servants for its failure in responding to Ukraine's Kursk Oblast incursion.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast, near Kupiansk, within Toretsk, and on the Vuhledar front.
• Russian opposition outlet Mediazona reported on 20 December that it has confirmed that at least 20,364 Russian soldiers have been killed in action (KIA) in Ukraine since 1 January 2024.

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