Ukrainian Brigade Pioneers Land Attacks With Nirawak Vehicles Remotely

Ukrainian Khartia Brigade. (Twitter/@khartiabrygenada)

JAKARTA - The box-shaped vehicle equipped with the machine gun was walking staggered across a snow-covered battlefield, unmanned inside and marking what Ukrainian operators were describing operating in remote areas as an important milestone as Russian artillery fire rained it down.

Avoiding soldiers for later infantry attacks, the unmanned device was operated remotely by the Ukrainian Khartian Brigade, the latest breakthrough in a conflict that has developed into a technological race.

Khartia released footage of last month's attack on the northeastern Kharkiv region, which combines an attack vehicle and mine propagator as well as mine clearance guided by a drone floating on it.

The Brigade said it was the first land strike documented only with engines in Ukraine's war with Russia.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.

However, the brigade said the operation paved the way for the successful infantry progress.

"Our job is to transfer reconnaissance, cleaning operations and attacks to the machines we can afford if we have to lose them," said Volodymyr unit spokesman Dehtiarov.

Units such as Khartia are embracing innovation, trying to save lives as Russia's full-scale invasion approaches its third year.

Ukrainian authorities say some 43,000 troops have been killed in fighting since February 2022, but some Western officials estimate the numbers may be higher.

Proliferation of cheap attack drones has made heavy artillery warfare more deadly, soldiers said.

Standing inside a simple storage building at the Khartian base, a 21-year-old platoon commander with the nickname "Happy" pointed to spare parts shelves for their vehicles - including a "kamikaze" unmanned aircraft fitted with antipersonnel mines used in last month's attack.

"They were as close as they could to the (Russian) brand's hiding place and then exploded," Happy told Reuters.

Ground crews are usually stationed at least 2 km away to avoid enemy drone attacks, 28-year-old pilot "Khort" added.

Earlier, other Ukrainian military units used similar technologies, such as long-range-controlled stretchers, to try to gain an edge on the battlefield over bigger and more complete enemies.

Domestically-based remote technology production is developing in Ukraine, including through grassroots companies supported by government development funds.

In the sky above, Ukraine also uses dozens of domestically-made systems equipped with AI for drone aircraft to achieve targets on the battlefield, a senior official said in October.

The Russian military is also quick to adapt, said Khartia spokesman Dehtiarov, meaning Ukrainian units like his own must continue to innovate both inside and outside the battlefield.

"Any profit runs out after a few weeks - a maximum of a few months - when the enemy begins to understand, analyze, implement, and improve the same technology," he said.