Robot Warfare Risks Russia-Ukraine War Standstill: Ex-Military Chief

Former Ukrainian military chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi recently said that robot warfare risks a standstill in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Russia and Ukraine have heavily relied on drones to track enemy forces, guide weapons and strike targets since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of the Eastern European country in February 2022.

Zaluzhnyi, ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom and former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, warned of the risks associated with this technology in an interview with Ukrainian news site, Ukrainska Pravada, published Saturday.

“When robots began to appear en masse on the battlefield, they made it impossible for soldiers to move in any way on the battlefield,” he said, according to an English translation. “The inability to deal with robots led to the fact that a stupor appeared. We couldn’t move towards the Russians, the Russians, accordingly, couldn’t move in the same way.”

Zaluzhnyi predicted that it would be years before serious breakthroughs on the frontlines will be possible.

“According to my theory, when this technical-evolutionary process is completed, and subsequently the accumulation of technological materials occurs, the possibility of pushing through will be restored,” he said, adding that “this could happen sometime after 2027.”

Newsweek reached out to the Russian government via online form and Ukraine’s foreign ministry via email for comment Saturday evening.

What Is Happening in the Russia-Ukraine War?

As the Russia-Ukraine war braces for its third winter, Moscow has enlisted the help of soldiers from North Korea.

On October 23, U.S. officials confirmed that North Korea had sent troops to Russia. Meanwhile, a North Korean representative to the United Nations (U.N.) said last month that reports that Pyongyang is sending soldiers to Moscow were “groundless rumors.”

On Monday, Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters that it is likely that roughly 11,000 North Korean troops have entered Russia’s Kursk region along Ukraine’s northern border.

Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram on Friday that some North Korean troops have moved south into the Belgorod region.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, recently authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied missiles deeper inside Russia, granting a months-long request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The decision to allow Ukraine to use the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMs) farther into Russian territory came amid the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia.

In exchange for thousands of North Korean soldiers, Russia has provided Pyongyang with air defense missiles and military equipment, according to South Korea’s national security adviser.

Shin Won-sik revealed on Friday during a broadcast on SBS TV that Russia has supplied North Korea with advanced military technologies to enhance the regime’s defense capabilities, particularly around Pyongyang.