Ukraine Airdrops Surface-to-Surface Robots Behind Enemy Lines
In a covert operation that began in May and concluded last week, unmanned ground vehicles were used to reclaim a significant area in the Donetsk region.
The Third Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that it neutralized 3,000 Russian troops and reclaimed 48 square miles of territory in the Donetsk region by airdropping kamikaze ground robots behind enemy lines.
Details of Operation Vivaldi
The details of the covert operation, which began in May and concluded last week, were made public by the Third Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
While officials described this development as a new phase in the war, they emphasized that this tactic was being used for the first time in the world.
Areas Recovered in the Donetsk Region
As a result of this strategic operation, five villages and three settlements in the contested Donetsk region were brought back under control.
Approximately 80 percent of Donetsk, located in the industrially rich Donbas region, is currently under Russian occupation.
Delivery via Bomber Drones
The small yet effective unmanned ground vehicles used in the operation were dropped up to nine miles behind Russian front lines via bomber drones.
Cameras mounted on the four-wheeled robots recorded the moments and details of the surprise operation.
Thousands of Missions and Targets
The unit completed a total of more than 15,700 missions targeting Russian command centers, bunkers, logistics hubs, and river crossings.
Major General Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the Third Army Corps, stated that the enemy expected the threat from the sky, but the danger came from the ground.