Robot Warfare Drives Ukrainian Civilians Underground

Russia has lost about 57 square kilometers of territory in Ukraine since August 1, while suffering 142,000 dead or wounded, according to Ukraine's general staff—more than a third of Sweden's entire mobilized armed forces. Ukraine's recent gains stem from improved medium-range strikes between 25 and 300 kilometers, disrupting Russian fuel, ammunition, and personnel supplies. This enabled offensives in Zaporizhzhia, Lyman, and Kupjansk, including Operation Vivaldi, which used ground robots for over 100,000 logistics and evacuation missions this year and unmanned vehicles for airborne assaults. The growing robotization of warfare shifts attacks toward societal infrastructure, as seen in Russia's April record of 6,583 long-range drones targeting Ukraine's power grid and industry. This forces civilians underground, with Kyiv residents sleeping in metro stations and defense production moved to basements.