Ukraine Ground Drones Now Handle 90% of Frontline Logistics as ‘Kill Zone’ Expands

We’ve been tracking Ukraine’s drone revolution for years, but the latest report from Dutch broadcaster NOS reveals a stunning shift: ground-based robots have quietly become the backbone of frontline survival. The 21st Regiment of Unmanned Systems now delivers 90% of all supplies to forward positions using wheeled drones, a transformation born from brutal necessity.

The reason is simple and terrifying. Everything within 9 miles (15km) of the front has become a “kill zone” where Russian aerial drones hunt anything that moves. Ukraine adapted by taking logistics underground, literally putting supplies on wheels instead of wings.

And in one remarkable incident, Russian soldiers surrendered to a ground drone after their bunker was destroyed.

The Kill Zone That Changed Everything

Inside the command center of the 21st Regiment, operators sit with controllers in hand, watching screens that show wheeled robots navigating toward the front. These aren’t the dramatic FPV strikes that dominate social media. This is the unglamorous work that keeps soldiers alive.

“Without [ground drones], it is simply impossible to imagine how war should be waged,” Lieutenant Ostap told NOS reporters. His unit pioneered ground drone operations during the brutal Battle of Avdiivka nearly two years ago. What started as experimentation has become doctrine.

The math is brutal. Russian reconnaissance and attack drones have made the airspace within 9 miles (15km) of contact lines essentially unsurvivable for anything larger than an FPV. Vehicles attempting supply runs become targets. Soldiers moving on foot are hunted. The only solution was to go low and slow.

Serpent Drones: The Workhorses of the Front

At a workshop behind the lines, mechanics work frantically on ground drones of all shapes and sizes. The “Serpent” class UGV sits with its motor exposed for calibration. It looks like a quad bike with a large cargo bay in the middle, riding on four thick tires designed to handle shell-cratered terrain.

“The drone is a platform, what you do with it depends on your own imagination,” workshop boss Serhii explained enthusiastically. That imagination has produced remarkable variants.

Some carry stretchers for evacuating wounded. Others mount heavy Browning machine guns. Small kamikaze carts carry landmines into enemy positions. The modularity is the point, allowing units to customize based on mission requirements.

When Robots Take Prisoners

Perhaps the most striking development is psychological. Poelja, a 26-year-old operator, coordinates rescue missions from the command center, switching between radio and Signal app to manage multiple operations simultaneously.

“It’s hard when our missions aren’t successful,” she told NOS. “That happens sometimes. It’s war, everyone understands that.”

But she also witnessed something unprecedented. After her unit destroyed a Russian bunker and positioned a kamikaze cart at the next one, soldiers inside held up a sign. They wanted to surrender, not to Ukrainian troops, but to a machine.

It was the first time she had experienced that. The psychological impact of fighting robots, rather than humans you might negotiate with or overpower, appears to be reshaping battlefield dynamics in ways military theorists are only beginning to understand.

Russia Playing Catch-Up

The innovation gap is telling. While Russia has rapidly scaled its aerial drone capabilities through units like Rubicon, ground robotics remains a Ukrainian advantage.

“The Russians are also developing ground drones, but they’re not as far along,” mechanic Serhii observed. “In the fight itself, we haven’t seen them yet.”

This mirrors broader patterns in the conflict. Ukraine innovates out of necessity with limited resources, while Russia eventually catches up through industrial scale. The question is whether Ukraine can maintain its lead long enough for ground drones to become as ubiquitous as FPVs.

The Human Cost of Robot Logistics

Ground drone operations require significant personnel and planning, Lieutenant Ostap acknowledged. These aren’t autonomous systems. Each mission demands operators, mechanics, route planners, and coordination with frontline units.

“The situation is very tense,” workshop coordinator Ostap admitted. “The enemy attacks every day, and despite the damage and losses, their potential doesn’t diminish.”

The drones get destroyed too. But as Ostap noted: “It’s still better to lose a ground robot than a human life.”

That calculus drives everything. With Ukraine facing manpower constraints and Russia willing to absorb staggering casualties, every soldier saved by a robot represents strategic value that extends far beyond the cost of the machine.

From Novelty to Necessity

Six months ago, ground drones were still new and exciting to work with, the mechanics recalled. Now they’re infrastructure.

“Everything now rests on the shoulders of these ground drones,” one mechanic told NOS.

The shift happened faster than anyone anticipated. What began as a workaround for impossible conditions has become the primary logistics system for some of Ukraine’s most contested sectors. The 21st Regiment’s 90% figure may be exceptional, but the trend is clear across the front.

DroneXL’s Take

This NOS report confirms what we’ve been following for months: Ukraine’s ground drone revolution is no longer experimental. It’s operational at scale.

The 90% logistics figure is staggering. When we covered the 93rd Brigade using UGVs to see through heavy fog near Pokrovsk last month, it demonstrated how ground robots complement aerial systems. This NOS report shows they’ve moved beyond complementary to primary.

The psychological warfare angle deserves more attention. Russian soldiers surrendering to machines echoes the broader dehumanization of this conflict, but it also suggests ground drones may have deterrent effects beyond their tactical utility. When you can’t negotiate with or overpower your opponent because it’s a robot, surrender becomes more attractive than resistance.

We first covered armed ground robots like the Ironclad combat drone nearly two years ago. The progression from novelty to necessity has been remarkably fast. Ukraine’s first fully unmanned assault in December 2024 combined ground robots with FPV drones. Now that integration is routine.

Russia’s lag in ground robotics mirrors earlier patterns. Moscow was slow to adopt FPV drones until Ukrainian success forced adaptation. The same cycle appears to be beginning with UGVs. Serhii’s observation that Russian ground drones haven’t appeared in combat yet won’t remain true forever, but Ukraine’s head start matters.

The kill zone expansion is the buried lede. When we reported on Ukraine’s gamified drone warfare system, the incentive structure included points for using autonomous vehicles instead of human drivers. That incentive exists because driving into the kill zone is increasingly suicidal. Ground drones aren’t just innovative. They’re the only option left.

NATO should be paying very close attention. The lessons from Ukraine’s ground drone revolution will reshape logistics doctrine for a generation. Armies that can’t operate in contested airspace will need ground alternatives. Ukraine is writing that playbook in real time.

What do you think about Ukraine’s shift to ground-based logistics? Can this model scale to other contested environments? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Photo credit: NOS / Wessel de Jong / Christiaan Paauwe