Ex-defense minister's futuristic 'Army of Robots' raises eyebrows in Ukraine - Breaking Defense

The idea of humanoid soldiers is as old as science fiction, but technological advances have put working models within reach like never before. Earlier this year, China hosted a robotic Olympics, featuring humanoid bots performing superhuman feats (and also crashing spectacularly). The US Army appears interested in the technology, hosting what it called the xTechHumanoid competition earlier this month to explore how “emerging commercial humanoid technologies could contribute to future military operations.”

At the event here, however, the project launch met mixed responses. Borys Drozhak, founder of Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) manufacturer Rovertech, questioned the practicality of humanoid robots in particular. He contends the initiative will “save lives,” but it has also sparked mixed reactions at the IT Arena conference here and beyond.

During the conference, which took place here from Sept. 25-27, Fedorov, who was controversially dismissed in July by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, unveiled an envisioned “Army of Robots” with a sleek, CGI video showing humanoid robots aiming rifles, fighting in trenches, and marching in a massive formation.

“In 2022, we launched the Army of Drones. […] Today, drones account for more than 95% of strikes,” Fedorov said in a social media post on Sept. 26. “But technological warfare does not stand still. We need the next breakthrough. Our bet is on the robotization of warfare. The mission of the Army of Robots is to save lives.” Breaking Defense

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Ex-defense minister’s futuristic ‘Army of Robots’ raises eyebrows in Ukraine

A splashy promo video published by Mykhailo Fedorov envisions humanoid robots in combat, but not everyone is convinced it's the right play.

By Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo on October 01, 2026 11:03 am

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A screengrab from a video published by former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov featuring an envisioned "Army of Robots". (Screengrab)

LVIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s former Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov has launched a new project to build a robotic army, including humanoid soldiers, intended to largely replace soldiers on the battlefield.