Ukraine Says Goodbye to Frontline Soldiers: Trenches Could Be Empty by 2030

Ukraine has already tested this approach.

The Dawn of a Soldier-less Infantry

By the early 2030s, traditional infantry roles will vanish.

According to Andrii Kovalenko of Kyiv’s Center for Combating Disinformation, frontline soldiers will be replaced by “operators, engineers, analysts”, the brains behind remote warfare.

From Trenches to Control Rooms

Kovalenko predicts a major shift: command algorithms, sensors, and drones will take over missions ranging from reconnaissance to evacuation.

The deciding factors will be algorithm quality, planning speed, and task formulation, not manpower.

Drone-Only Offensive: First Trial in Kharkiv

Ukraine has already tested this approach.

In 2024, a ground offensive at Liptsy in Kharkiv used only drones, no boots on the ground, demonstrating that autonomous systems can shoulder entire operations.

Drone Use Exploding Amid Conflict

Officials from Ukraine’s National Guard report a 70% surge in drone operations in the Pokrovsk sector alone.

This shows both sides are racing to dominate unmanned warfare, fundamentally changing the battlefield.

Urgent Call for Interceptor Drones

Russia’s mass deployment of “Shahed” kamikaze drones presents a growing threat.

Electronic warfare specialist Sergei Beskrestnov warns that without a rapid escalation in interceptor drone production, Ukrainian infrastructure could face catastrophic attacks.

Drone Operations Yield Massive Results

So far this year, Ukrainian drones have taken out more than 2,800 artillery systems, 433 ammunition depots, and 60 rocket launchers, paked blows delivered without a single soldier crossing enemy lines.

Doctrine and Coordination Lag Behind

Despite impressive achievements, experts like Yuri Kasianov (a military and aero-reconstruction analyst) warn that Ukraine lacks a unified doctrine and integrated command structure for drones.

This disjointed strategy risks undermining their edge.