(POKROVSK, DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE) – Ukrainian troops operating near the front line city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region have recovered damaged ground based combat robots that had been disabled during operations, highlighting the growing role of robotic systems in the war with Russia.
Soldiers from the Combat Hawks battalion of unmanned systems, part of the 25th Sicheslav Airborne Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, released footage showing how crews evacuate damaged robotic platforms from combat zones on the outskirts of Pokrovsk.
According to the brigade, the ground robotic complexes operate alongside Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield and perform critical tasks in areas where armoured vehicles can no longer move safely.
“These robots are our brothers on the battlefield,” the unit said. “We do not abandon the wounded or damaged ones. We evacuate them.”
The Combat Hawks battalion said its personnel retrieved several damaged unmanned ground vehicles that failed to reach their operational destination during missions near Pokrovsk.
The brigade explained that there are routes along the front line where no armoured vehicle can safely travel. In those areas, ground based drones carry out essential logistical tasks.
These robotic systems are used to deliver ammunition and supplies to Ukrainian positions and to evacuate wounded soldiers from exposed sections of the battlefield.
Footage from the operation shows soldiers recovering a damaged robotic vehicle from an area described by the unit as a kill zone.
Military officials said logistics operations in such areas remain extremely dangerous because equipment and personnel risk being permanently stranded in open terrain under enemy observation.
Despite the danger, Ukrainian forces make efforts to retrieve damaged robotic systems whenever possible.
Commanders say the ground robotic platforms are critical equipment that perform some of the most dangerous tasks on the battlefield.
Although the machines are often exposed to enemy fire and can be damaged during missions, they are considered valuable assets that help reduce the risk to human soldiers.
Ukrainian troops say the robots are frequently used in frontline supply missions and casualty evacuation operations.
“You have seen many videos where the ground drones deliver supplies or evacuate the wounded,” the brigade’s communications unit said. “But it is rare to see how we evacuate the wounded robots.”
During the recovery operation shown in the video, a damaged robot was successfully retrieved from the battlefield.
“ We saved our comrade. Successfully evacuated, thank God,” one soldier said in the video.
Soldiers described the machines as tools that replace fighters in some dangerous missions but also require rescue when they are disabled.
“Drones save lives. They replace fighters, but often they must risk themselves and rescue their own comrades,” one serviceman said.
He added that the robotic platforms are treated almost like members of the unit.
“They are almost like part of the family.”
According to the soldiers, the damaged robot had suffered significant damage during operations.
“There was a partial loss of a limb,” one operator said, referring to a damaged mechanical arm.
“The electronics were affected and the antenna was knocked out, but more or less it will survive and it will work again.”
Ukrainian commanders say the systems remain important assets on the battlefield and are recovered whenever possible so they can be repaired and returned to service.
The footage was released by the communications department of the 25th Separate Sicheslav Airborne Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
