Marta Gichko09:49, 15.07.26

The military first used an unmanned sea boat to deliver a combat ground robot to the occupied coast, where it completed a combat mission.

The Ukrainian military conducted a unique operation, which is already being called the world’s first combat landing of a ground robot from an unmanned sea boat. During the mission, the robot landed on the occupied coast, after which it opened fire on the enemy with a remotely controlled machine gun, writes Forbes .

A video of the operation was published on July 13. The released footage shows an unmanned boat approaching the shore, opening a ramp, and then a tracked unmanned ground complex driving onto land. After disembarking, the operator remotely uses the machine gun mounted on the vehicle.

The 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade stated that this was the first known combat operation of this type in the world.

“The unmanned ground vehicle was delivered to the enemy’s shores by an unmanned sea platform, deployed in the occupied territory and used to carry out a combat mission,” the military reported.

The military conducted a unique operation on the Kinburn Spit

The operation was carried out near Kinburn Spit.

The mission presumably took place in the Kinburn Spit area, which Russian troops occupied back in 2022.

This area is of strategic importance, as it controls the entrance to the Dnieper-Bug estuary and the approaches to the ports of Mykolaiv and Kherson. Russia uses the spit as a staging area for artillery, drones, radar, and electronic warfare.

Ukrainian forces have conducted raids there on several occasions, but this time they used robotic landings for the first time.

Robots are increasingly active on the front lines

Ukraine is rapidly increasing the production of unmanned ground systems. Last year, about 10,000 such vehicles were manufactured, and in 2026, it is planned to produce 50,000.

Initially, they were used mainly for delivering ammunition and evacuating the wounded, but now they are increasingly performing combat missions.

One example is the DevDroid TW 12.7 robot, equipped with a large-caliber machine gun. According to the Ukrainian military, one of these complexes independently held a forward position for 45 days, periodically returning only for refueling and reloading.

A new stage in the development of drone warfare

Analysts note that the current operation was another step in the development of the concept of combined use of unmanned systems.

The unmanned sea boat effectively played the role of a landing ship, delivering the combat robot to shore. After that, the ground complex could conduct reconnaissance, check minefields, engage in combat or distract the enemy without risking the lives of servicemen.

Experts believe that such operations could become the new standard of modern warfare. Robotic landings allow you to test enemy defenses, conduct raids and support other units without the need to land people on the most dangerous sections of the coast.Read also:

Special operation on Kinburn Spit

As a reminder, the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade  of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spoke about a unique operation they conducted on the Kinburn Spit. The military noted that this is the first known combat mission of this format in the world.

A Ukrainian robotic boat sailed to the shore of the occupied Kinburn Spit and released an armed ground robot, which advanced inland and opened fire. Not a single soldier stepped ashore.

(c)UNIAN 2026