“We are moving in the direction of innovation.” An interview with Yabchanka about the robotics of war and our response to the enemy’s main advantage

– You recently announced that you became the commander of the unmanned ground systems service of the Vovka Da Vinci battalion. Am I calling it right, and if so, what does that mean, what is this new structure?

— Here it is not so much about the structure as it is primarily about the function. We are now up against an enemy who outnumbers us in terms of manpower and who is wasting that manpower without regard for casualties. Their losses at the front are sky-high now. It’s a bit like some zombie apocalypse movies, because they come group after group, we destroy them and they come again. They don’t stop the attacks, these meaty assaults.

It is clear that we cannot afford such a war, neither from a moral-ethical nor from a quantitative point of view. Therefore, we have to make an asymmetrical response, which we have shown throughout the full-scale invasion. I would not talk about the war from the beginning of the hybrid war, because I have no information about it, I was not included in the Defense Forces at that time.

This is what we are talking about, the state is moving in the direction of innovation. In other words, we are simply obliged to constantly be half a step, or better, several steps ahead of our enemy, who does not count on any human losses. That is why our battalion decided to first introduce robotic systems, and now allocate it to the service.

What does this mean in practice? The robotics of war begins with robotics in specific units. Fortunately, these units exist, we are not alone. There are very good developments in the 3rd OSHBr and, I know, in the 5th OSHBr, our paratroopers are also developing in this direction.

We are talking about the basic level in combat units, where it is already being implemented. At the national level, we have created the Forces of Unmanned Systems with an experienced, very skilled head of the SBS. I sincerely hope, frankly, believe that this is the way we can win this war. I am talking about winning, because there will be no one in this war, our enemy has set himself the goal of destroying us, not counting any of his losses.

It is no secret that for Russians the death of their compatriots is not a problem. They have a cult of death, and they show it on the battlefield. This story of theirs “we will not stand by the price” is what they are demonstrating now. And the strangest thing is that they are proud of it. It’s true, some nation of necromancers. The third year of the invasion is coming to an end, and I never cease to be amazed at how indifferent they are to the deaths of their countrymen.

— Detailing the issue of robots, how they look, how they should look, where this direction is headed. What will they be like next year, if we predict the ground battlefield and the robotization of processes? Because we already understand everything perfectly about aerial drones. About 1.5 years ago, companies of strike unmanned aircraft complexes began to form. Now there are already whole regiments of unmanned air systems, and the ground systems are still a very raw story. It is interesting to hear the trends, your assessment.

— First, I will answer what they are not. Pictures from the Terminator movies aren’t about that. As of now, it’s mostly platforms, by and large. Ground robotic complexes must perform certain functions, infantry. Implied? Logistics, evacuation, demining, demining, surveillance and fire damage. This is the key thing that NRCs should do.