UKR: The $$$ militaries save from using UGVs

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BLUF: A single military brigade fully equipped with UGVs can save over $520 million annually by preventing the loss of the soldiers and trucks on the battlefield. 

In 2025 Ukrainians significantly increased the numbers of UGVs on the battlefield. This has enabled the widespread use of ground drones, the creation of specialized units, and the execution of complex operations involving cargo delivery, rescue missions, and enemy elimination.

Unmanned ground vehicles can provide an almost unimaginable boost to units on the battlefield. To put it into perspective, consider that a single UGV crew transports an average of 15 tons of cargo per month, said Viktor Pavlov, platoon commander and founder of the UGV operator school in the 3rd Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A single infantryman, on the other hand, carries 20 kg of equipment per trip.  This means a UGV crew of four people can effectively do the work of 750 soldiers. 

Moving across the modern battlefield is extremely dangerous due to drone strikes, so military personnel always risk their lives just by heading to their positions. 

“Rotation and logistics are the most dangerous parts of war,” said Vladyslav, call sign ‘Omar,’ commander of the strike UAV platoon of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade ‘Kholodny Yar.’ 

Ukrainian soldiers’ deaths on the battlefield are not only a devastating blow to morale and heartbreaking for families, but also a threat to resources, as  the state must pay each family 15 million hryvnia ($348,000). By taking on a very dangerous part of the job, UGVs can not only protect human lives but also save a lot of money that can be better spent on defense. 

Currently, the 3rd Assault Brigade carries out about 40 percent of all UGV trips in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said platoon commander Viktor Pavlov. In December alone, its crews transported over 200 tons of goods — the equivalent of 10,000 soldiers each carrying 20 kg to positions, said Pavlov.

The warfare research group Oryx has recorded the destruction of 176 Ukrainian combat and logistics UGVs. If 176 soldiers had been killed on the battlefield instead, the military would have lost an entire company and $61 million in payments to families. 

It must also be noted that a significant number of Ukrainian military personnel can also be injured in attacks, meaning they lose combat capability and require treatment that the state must also pay for. Other costs cannot be calculated, such as training a new specialist to replace the deceased or purchasing equipment lost along with him. 

AFU officially received 15,000 UGV during the year 2025, said Denys Shmygal, ex-defence minister of Ukraine. However, military personnel purchased an unknown number with their own funds, and an additional amount was provided to soldiers from volunteers and NGOs.

The financial benefits are obvious. In January 2026, the 1st Separate Medical Battalion evacuated a soldier from the battlefield using a UGV MAUL— one such drone with an armoured capsule for a wounded soldier costs around $23,200. 

The MAUL traveled a total of 64 km in 6 hours to reach the wounded soldier in enemy territory and the same distance back. For a human, it's almost impossible to cover this distance on the battlefield in such a short time. In February, for instance, one wounded Ukrainian soldier had to walk 12 km on foot over two weeks.

For this evacuation case, the operators used three MAULs, but lost two of them. So the total financial loss was $69,600. This is still $278,400 less than the state would have to pay the family if the soldier had died.

According to Pavlov, one UGV crew evacuates an average of three soldiers per month. Due to the contested ‘kill zone’ between the two sides, there are many situations now when a person simply cannot be evacuated in any other way except with the help of a UGV because of enemy drones or hard terrain. 

Three military personnel saved from death equals approximately $1 million per month that the state saves on payments to families of the deceased.

Another important concept to consider is time, according to Yevhen Hnatok, director of UGV manufacturing company Skyline Enterprise. Soldiers carrying all their equipment have to walk all night to cover 15-20 km, whereas a UGV can travel this distance in a few hours.

Vehicles can also be spared. One military pickup truck transports about 500 kg of cargo at a time. Using the same calculations, by using UGVs for transporting over 200 tons of goods, the 3rd Assault Brigade's UGVs replaced the equivalent of 400 vehicle trips, which the Russians also actively attack with FPV drones and other weapons. This could mean saving at least dozens of lives and pickup trucks.

According to volunteers from The North Atlantic Fella Organization (NAFO) who delivered 850 trucks, the AFU loses about 1,000 pickups per month. The Ukrainian charity fund Come Back Alive purchases new Mitsubishi L200/TRITON vehicles for an average of $34,000 each. Used vehicles can be found in Europe for $10,000-$20,000, depending on the year of manufacture. But average quality UGVs cost about $15,000, according to Pavlov. 

So if Ukraine purchases 1,000 UGVs instead of 1,000 trucks for logistics, theoretically, this could save up to $19 million and, most importantly, save the lives of military personnel. 

The other question is Ukraine’s ability to produce and purchase this amount of quality UGVs every month because of the lack of money and operators.

In 2025, the UGV school of the 3rd Assault Brigade trained about 1,200 cadets (military and civilians). If 120 crews were formed from those cadets,  they could cover the logistical needs of three brigades and transport 1,800 tons per month. 

If Ukraine could teach and prepare this number of crews, 90,000 soldiers carrying 20 kg could be spared — hundreds of soldiers would no longer need to carry dozens of kilograms a few times regularly, risking their lives each time. 

UGVs also transport materials for building fortifications, which saves a large number of soldiers from death and shrapnel injuries – in this case, the financial benefit cannot be calculated, but the benefit is undeniable. UGVs also deliver ammunition, which is especially crucial, since the Russians can break through the front and inflict even greater losses if these are not delivered to positions in time.

Thus, three brigades fully equipped with UGVs would save over $130 million per month, Pavlov estimated. One brigade saves over $43 million per month and $520 million per year. 

According to Pavlov, the cost of a UGV depends on its size, configuration, technical characteristics, and communication systems.

A budget cargo UGV with full drive, a range of 40-50 km, a payload capacity of 200 kg, and a Starlink communication system on board can be manufactured for $7,000 to 8,000, said Hnatok, but they lack a lot of core functions, such as detonation сircuits for self-destruction in case of enemy capture, batteries for increased range or additional communication systems.

UGVs could deliver up to 70 percent of cargo in many brigades, said Taras Ostapchuk, director of UGV manufacturer RATEL. Approximately 50-60 drones from RATEL are currently in service in the Armed Forces.

RATEL UGVs are mainly designed for weights from 300 kg; these are large drones that are very noticeable targets for the enemy. They move mainly in the dark and usually perform one mission per night, traveling up to 20 km there and back.

The Ratel H model costs about $34,781 and is one of the most expensive UGVs in Ukraine. One Ratel can perform between one and 40 missions, with the average service life being around 15 missions. In this case, the average cost of one mission would be $2,318 or $3,503 together with two Starlink monthly subscriptions, Ostapchuk estimated.

Vehicles are very vulnerable to mines on roads, while modern UGVs are much more resistant, Hnatok noted. However, they are vulnerable to fire – drones are very often lost when transporting fuel for generators.

UGV repair and maintenance require workshops with equipment costing thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention the cost of renting premises, generators, and buying fuel, Hnatok noted. But vehicle maintenance also requires workshops and even more expensive equipment. Vehicle components, such as wheels, also cost more.

In addition to logistics, the Ukrainian army has invented various ways to use UGVs. 

Some ground drones are equipped with turrets with machine guns or grenade launchers. Once, thanks to drones with machine guns, Ukrainian fighters were able to hold a position for about 45 days, said Pavlov.

There are also kamikaze models. The NC-13 company from the 3rd Assault Brigade, using the "Termit" UGV with 200 kg of explosives, destroyed a Russian position in a school basement that could not be hit by any other means. 

Hnatok's team also developed a system for throwing hand grenades at a distance of 150 meters. In the summer of 2025, the 3rd Assault Brigade even captured prisoners for the first time in world history using UGVs. 

UGVs are also manufactured for the sensitive and somber task of evacuating the bodies of fallen soldiers, with conveyor-type belts used that pull themselves. Evacuation of a deceased soldier on the frontline is very dangerous for personnel because of enemy attacks and hard terrain. This is something that simply can’t be calculated financially, but it’s imperative for morale.

Integration with Starlink has solved many communication problems that had previously prevented Ukraine's military from using UGVs on a mass scale, said Pavlov. Thanks to satellite communication, the operator can control UGVs and receive quality video at any distance from the position; the range is limited only by its battery.

To maintain normal radio communication, the UGV must be in the line of sight of the radio station, which significantly limits the range. The video link breaks at a distance of less than 2 km, said  Hnatok, but you can control it at a greater distance by looking via an overhead DJI Mavic UAV’s camera.

By using a relay drone, the UGV's operating range will increase to 20 km, but the disadvantages of radio communication will remain. For example, walls, trees, and other obstacles block signals, and the operator can lose control; EW systems can suppress them.

To bypass these limitations, the Ukrainian military previously used mesh networks, said Pavlov. This requires installing a main communication node, as well as positioning several UGVs in direct line of sight of each other. This is quite difficult and requires good coordination of operators and the commander.

Mesh systems are expensive and can cost $15,000, i.e., as much as the entire UGV, Pavlov said. Soldiers need to install dozens of points with equipment at a certain height, manually connect them, service them, and change batteries, risking enemy fire.

Working with Starlink has become much easier, but UGV crews cannot completely rely on it, said Hnatok. Satellite communication can disappear, so operators must be ready to turn on the radio channel, raise a Mavic, or relay in the air so as not to lose the ground drone.

Read also on The Arsenal: SpaceX blocks Starlink terminals used by the Russian army, which gives Ukraine a significant advantage.

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