Ukraine Unit Explains Why Troops Attack in Day and Use Robots at Night

Key Points:

• Ukraine's Third Army Corps is employing a network of aerial and ground drones to deploy and clear minefields during its offensive, Operation Vivaldi, which has captured about 50 square miles near Lyman in northern Donetsk.
• Ground drones, capable of carrying heavy payloads up to 400 kg, significantly reduce mine-laying time, with a single drone able to deploy a 1,300-foot-deep minefield in two days compared to two weeks for human crews.
• The corps prefers to conduct mining operations at night using quiet ground drones to avoid enemy detection, while daytime assaults benefit from better detection of enemy FPV drones.
• Heavy aerial drones, such as hexacopters carrying up to 40 kg, are also used to deploy dozens of anti-personnel mines per sortie, with mining crews conducting about 130 sorties monthly along 18 miles of front lines.
• Ukraine emphasizes the use of uncrewed ground vehicles to minimize soldier risk, as drones do not tire, can be repaired if damaged, and reduce human casualties in dangerous frontline tasks.