Kathrine Frich
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, the use of drones on the battlefield has surged at an unprecedented pace.
What began as limited reconnaissance has evolved into a vast network of surveillance and strike systems reshaping the way the war is fought.
According to Ukraine’s former top commander, the conflict has now entered a new phase where machines dominate large sections of the front.
Battlefield transformed
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s former commander-in-chief and now ambassador to the UK, said the front has become a “robot-infested killing field” dominated by drones and automated systems.
Speaking at Chatham House in London on February 23, he said: “The war in Ukraine is no longer just a Ukrainian story. It has become a laboratory of the future.”
Zaluzhnyi argued that traditional concepts of warfare are rapidly becoming outdated. “Modern warfare has long gone beyond trenches, tank battles and aerial confrontations,” he said.
“The battlefield has become completely transparent, flooded with surveillance drones and automated attack systems.”
Expanding kill zone
According to Zaluzhnyi, the area between opposing forces has widened into a vast “kill zone” where movement is increasingly dangerous.
He said the lethal zone now stretches at least 25 kilometres deep, with logistics corridors up to 50 kilometres from the front becoming highly vulnerable.
“The ability to destroy logistics is constantly growing. The idea of a secure rear has become outdated. Using equipment or people in these areas has turned into real suicide,” he said.
Earlier estimates from Ukraine’s military suggested the active front line ran roughly 10 kilometres in depth in late 2025, with proposals to establish a demilitarised buffer zone of up to 15 kilometres, potentially expanding to 40 kilometres.
Humans in short supply
Despite the surge in technology, Zaluzhnyi said people remain the scarcest resource. Replacing trained personnel takes far longer than manufacturing weapons, he noted.
“The number of people capable of performing tasks in the combat zone is minimal, continues to decrease and tends to be replaced by robots,” he said, adding that withdrawing troops from the most dangerous areas has become an operational necessity.
He described the conflict as an industrial and technological race, with both sides seeking to expand drone capabilities and weaken the other’s economy.
War of attrition
The Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian forces advanced more quickly in 2025 than the previous year, occupying about 0.8 percent of Ukrainian territory, though at high cost in casualties.
Analysts say Moscow remains focused on eastern Ukraine, particularly Donbas and the Kharkiv region, while also conducting long-range strikes.
Defense expert Andrii Zahorodniuk said control of the expanding “kill zone” is now central to the conflict.
“Of course, there will be a massive fight for the deepening of the kill zone. Basically, the question is who controls more enemy territory,” he said.
Sources: Institute for the Study of War, Euromaidan Press, Ziare.
