Newsweek on Sept. 21 cited Ukrainian military statements saying Ukraine airdropped suicide ground robots into Russian rear areas in northern Donetsk. Ukraine’s Third Corps said on Telegram on Sept. 20 it executed a flanking maneuver and carried out w

2026-09-23

Newsweek on Sept. 21 cited Ukrainian military statements saying Ukraine airdropped suicide ground robots into Russian rear areas in northern Donetsk. Ukraine’s Third Corps said on Telegram on Sept. 20 it executed a flanking maneuver and carried out what it called the world’s first ground-robot deployment, claiming the robots — flown by heavy strike UAVs more than 10 km into enemy rear — “blinded” Russian drones via air-defence and electronic-warfare measures. Third Corps commander Brig. Gen. Andriy Biletsky said his unit was the first to airdrop the systems. The Russian Defense Ministry had no immediate comment; Newsweek said it had contacted the ministry.