Ukraine's ex-defense minister Fedorov launches Army of Robots initiative
9 sources · The Jerusalem Post · Наша Ніва · The Decoder- Boom: Fedorov announced the private-sector "Army of Robots" initiative on September 25, 2026
- Boom: Robots are intended for casualty evacuation, mine clearance, and combat operations
- Neutral: Fedorov says drones now account for 95 percent of target engagements in the war
- Neutral: Initiative is private-sector, unlike the state-run Army of Drones program Fedorov previously led
- Boom: Project accelerates Ukraine's push toward autonomous systems replacing human soldiers in high-risk roles
The story in full
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced a private-sector combat robotics initiative called "Army of Robots" on September 25, 2026. The project is modeled on the state-run "Army of Drones" program Fedorov previously led, and targets robots for casualty evacuation, mine clearance, and direct combat roles.
Fedorov stated that drones already account for 95 percent of target engagements in the war, framing robots as the next step in Ukraine's battlefield technology. The new initiative is described as private-sector rather than a state program, distinguishing it structurally from its drone predecessor.
Analysis
401 wordsOn September 25, 2026, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced a private-sector initiative called Army of Robots, intended to field machines in casualty evacuation, mine clearance, and direct combat roles. Fedorov built the announcement on a striking operational figure: drones now account for 95 percent of target engagements in the war. The new project is explicitly modeled on the state-run Army of Drones program he previously led, but is structured as a private ecosystem, involving investment in defense tech companies, independent technology projects, and military testing before scaling.
The private-sector framing matters because it places this initiative outside Ukrainian government control while still aiming to shape frontline doctrine. Fedorov is no longer a minister, yet the initiative carries the credibility of the person who built Ukraine's drone program from the ground up. The core question the announcement raises is whether robotic ground systems can follow the same adoption curve that drones did, and whether a private entity can coordinate that transition effectively alongside a military under active pressure.
Supporers in the Pro-AI camp frame the initiative as a straightforward arithmetic fix for Ukraine's manpower problem. Rusni_pizda argued that the logic shifts toward systems that absorb risk first, and described Ukraine as turning its manpower handicap into an engineering contest Russia cannot win. Anonymous echoed this, saying the goal is to stop matching Russia soldier-for-soldier by replacing Ukrainians in the most dangerous roles with machines. Critics push back hard. Kellyfaunce called humanoid robots a genuinely inefficient form for any task and the fantasy of tech bros who treat war as an RPG. Bonkski and Jackbrat reached for Terminator comparisons, while Kurt Weiß raised a structural concern, arguing the entire concept depends on the war continuing and amounts to a vision of infinite war involving technology that is neither regulated nor controllable. Stenback added a political note, questioning Fedorov's alignment given past statements. The middle ground, represented by Mopolis, accepts the life-saving logic but worries about losing oversight as the systems scale, and Jeffry Bazooka framed humanoid battlefield robots as a near-term probability if the war extends several more years.
The argument will sharpen once the initiative moves from announcement to deployment. Concrete milestones to watch include which defense tech companies join the ecosystem, whether Ukrainian military units formally test any systems in the field, and whether the private structure attracts international investment or faces regulatory friction from Ukrainian or allied governments.
What Pro-AI voices are sayingThe initiative aims to replace Ukrainian soldiers in the deadliest frontline roles with robots, covering evacuation, mine clearance, and direct combat. Supporters see it as sound arithmetic given drone dominance and Ukraine's manpower constraints.
Quote 1 of 12What Anti-AI voices are sayingCritics call humanoid robots an inefficient, tech-bro fantasy unsuited to real warfare, with some warning the initiative normalizes endless automated war and poses uncontrollable risks.
Quote 1 of 8What Middle Ground voices are sayingSome observers accept the logic of saving soldiers' lives but worry about losing oversight as the technology scales toward autonomous battlefield systems.
Quote 1 of 5Add your take
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More Pro-AI reactions (12)
“He says humanoid robots should evacuate wounded troops, deliver ammunition, conduct reconnaissance, clear and lay mines, defend positions and strike targets.”
NOELREPORTS, Bluesky · 13:30 UTC“The goal is to stop matching Russia soldier-for-soldier by replacing Ukrainians in the most dangerous frontline roles with machines.”
Anonymous, Bluesky · 22:52 UTC“Make robots fight instead of people.”
Ulrike Franke, Bluesky · 15:02 UTC“Ukraine wants robots to enter the danger zone before its soldiers do.”
Meanwhile in Ukraine, Bluesky · 19:25 UTC“technological warfare does not stand still. We need the next breakthrough.”
Ulrike Franke, Bluesky · 15:04 UTC“He wants machines to take over the deadliest battlefield jobs, evacuating the wounded, laying and clearing mines”
Euromaidan Press, Bluesky · 12:38 UTC“🇺🇦🦾Ukraine’s former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov launches “Army of Robots” The Army of Robots is not one company. It’s an ecosystem. We will invest in defense tech companies, launch our own technology projects, test them with the military and scale”
24Hours Ukraine, Bluesky · 20:28 UTC“He wants machines to take over the deadliest battlefield jobs, evacuating the wounded, laying and clearing mines”
Lee West, Bluesky · 13:09 UTC“Yes. Finally, Fedorov is focused again on what he is good at.”
Chrisco, Bluesky · 14:03 UTC“Ukraine keeps turning its biggest handicap, manpower, into an engineering contest that Russia cannot win. Asymmetric warfare with a hardware upgrade.”
Rusni_pizda, Bluesky · 22:55 UTC“Fedorov is launching the Army of Robots. The framing is exactly right: this preserves manpower. Ukraine cannot trade lives for territory at moscovia’s preferred exchange rate. So the logic shifts to systems that absorb risk first. The stated mission set”
Rusni_pizda, Bluesky · 23:36 UTC“I mean, that is pretty cool. He still talks like the goal is for Ukraine to win.”
📎The Ghost Army of Fellas!, Bluesky · 19:52 UTC
More Anti-AI reactions (7)
“Humanoid robots are a truly inefficient form for any task and is the fantasy of tech bros who treat war as an RPG.”
kellyfaunce.bsky.social, Bluesky · 14:04 UTC“Literally what the Terminator movies were waning is of!😬 Stop that nonsense!🤬”
Slava Bonkus #ElonSucksSoHard, Bluesky · 16:56 UTC“Fedorov no longer speaks for the Ukrainian government and he has revealed his alignment with Musk by echoing Musk's demand to have a war time elections in Ukraine.”
Distressed Stoic (Fella) 🇫🇮🇪🇺, Bluesky · 16:21 UTC“A military wet dream involving technology that's 2,000yrs ahead of our mindset. Whose intelligence is neither regulated nor controllable.”
Kurt Weiß (dass er nicht weiß)🇺🇳, Bluesky · 15:32 UTC“The vision of the "army of robots" (UKR, ITA, GER) depends on "no cease fire" or it will die soon. The concept of #InfiniteWar.”
Kurt Weiß (dass er nicht weiß)🇺🇳, Bluesky · 15:36 UTC“The robots look like they are policing the audience...or like a preview of a fascist army.”
Crooked House, Bluesky · 13:51 UTC“An Army of Robots? I have seen a few movies about that, what could possibly go wrong 🤔😬”
Jackbrat, Bluesky · 22:59 UTC
More Middle Ground reactions (4)
“Although fully agreeing on the "lives saving part," I hope it gets a lid on it before Skynet takes over.”
Mopolis, Bluesky · 13:37 UTC“If the war in Ukraine drags on for a few more years, we're going to see humanoid robots on the battlefield.”
Jeffry Bazooka, Bluesky · 18:28 UTC“The Army of Robots presentation from Fedorov is being read in exactly the wrong way by the usual crowd. They see a humanoid machine in a trench and immediately jump to Terminator jokes or “AI wunderwaffe” cope. That reaction is”
Rusni_pizda, Bluesky · 00:06 UTC“A parallel advisory seat cannot scale battlefield robotics.”
Rusni_pizda, Bluesky, skeptic · 23:36 UTC
Sources
10 articles from 9 outlets- The Jerusalem PostFormer Ukrainian defense minister unveils 'Army of Robots' to accelerate autonomous warfare
- Наша НіваFormer Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov launches "Army of Robots". What is known
- The DecoderFormer Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov pitches a private-sector robot army - the-decoder.com
- The DecoderFormer Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov pitches a private-sector robot army
- Dealroom.coMykhailo Fedorov launches 'Army of Robots', a defence-tech robotics initiative
- БабельMykhailo Fedorov launches the “Army of Robots” following the example of the state project “Army of Drones”
- Цензор.НЕТFormer Defence Minister Fedorov announced launch of "Army of Robots". VIDEO
- Euromaidan PressWar's next tech leap: Former Ukraine's defense minister behind "Army of Drones" is now creating new "Army of Robots"
- Українська правдаUkraine's former defence minister Fedorov unveils new Army of Robots project: what is known
- АНТИКОРMykhailo Fedorov announced the launch of the "Army of Robots" project