Ukrainian forces have retaken occupied territory in an unprecedented assault using only unmanned machines, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday. The operation, carried out in Kharkiv oblast last year, resulted in Russian soldiers surrendering without any losses on the Ukrainian side.
Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade deployed first-person view (FPV) drones and kamikaze ground platforms to attack fortified positions along the frontline. The brigade said it took an undefined number of Russian forces prisoner, who emerged from destroyed fortifications to surrender as a robot closed in.
Zelensky recounted the operation on Defence Industry Worker Day, praising Ukraine's advances in frontline technology. He noted that drones have carried out more than 22,000 missions on the frontlines in three months, marking a major shift in modern warfare aimed at protecting human life.
On Tuesday, the president announced defence cooperation plans with Germany, including a deal on drone production that could become one of the largest in Europe. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the project would create a joint venture to supply thousands of drones to Ukraine.
Germany agreed to invest several hundred million euros to finance so-called deep strike capabilities. Berlin has delivered about 55 billion euros in military aid to Kyiv since Russia's invasion in 2022, with 11.5 billion euros set aside in the current budget.
