Ukrainian troops – Ukrainian soldiers are spending several days just moving through the front-line “kill zone,” an area saturated with drones that can target anything that moves. Ukraine says the zone is expanding, and it is increasingly relying on drones—especially ground robot
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian soldiers are spending days moving through the front-line “kill zone” just to reach their positions, and for many of them that journey is when they are most exposed.
Oleksiy Vyskub. Ukraine’s first deputy defense minister. said the area is heavily saturated with drones capable of targeting and attacking anything that moves. including both soldiers and vehicles. He described the “kill zone” as typically extending roughly 10 to 20 kilometers from the front line. though it is wider in some places. Ukrainian officials have also said the zone is growing.
Vyskub said infantry troops can lose several days getting to positions inside the kill zone. under the constant monitoring and threat of enemy reconnaissance and strike drones. “Navigating what has also been described as a ‘dead zone’ is when Ukrainian soldiers face the greatest threat to their lives. ” he said through a translator in a recent interview.
He added that troops may be unable to penetrate the kill zone entirely in the future. And that is already shaping decisions behind the front.
Ukraine is aiming to replace people with drones—especially ground robots—for all logistics missions within the kill zone, given the increasing risk soldiers face from above.
The widening kill zone is happening as the war grows more “robotic. ” Vyskub said. and as Ukraine ramps up production of uncrewed aerial and ground platforms. The shift is visible in the pace and scale of drone deployment and manufacturing. as well as in how commanders and units are being forced to adapt.
Andrii Hrytseniuk, CEO of the Ukrainian state-backed innovation platform Brave1, said artillery dominated the battlefield in 2022 when Russia began its full-scale invasion. Now, he said more than 80% of strikes are carried out by drones.
Hrytseniuk also said that over 95% of strikes are carried out by Ukrainian-made drones rather than foreign-supplied models. The defense industry has expanded sharply since 2022, growing from fewer than 10 drone manufacturers to more than 500.
The Ukrainian drone arsenal is sprawling and increasingly specialized, Hrytseniuk said, with systems built for reconnaissance, strikes, interception, naval attacks, ground operations, and long-range missions.
He described different technical approaches inside the fleet: some drones rely on radio links, others use fiber-optic cables to cut through jamming, and newer AI-enabled models can keep searching for targets even after contact with the operator is lost.
Vyskub said the number of drones increased dramatically. He shared that Ukraine is delivering tens of thousands of interceptor drones for air defense purposes every month, and added that they are “not being used to engage infantry or military equipment.”
Beyond interceptors, Kyiv is also prioritizing mid-range strike drones aimed at Russian positions and logistics up to 300 kilometers deep.
Ukrainian officials and conflict analysts have praised the ongoing mid-range strike campaign as a successful new phase of the war, disrupting Russian logistics operations in the south, particularly around the occupied Crimean peninsula.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told reporters last month: “We deliberately prioritized this direction. and the results are now visible.” He said “data dashboards already show a clear pattern” and that “the more enemy forces are destroyed at operational depth. the fewer assault operations occur on the front line.” Fedorov called mid-strike drones “one of the key technological advantages.”.
For Vyskub, the scale of technology’s role in the war—and how substantially it is changing how it is fought—is often underappreciated. He said many commanders lack traditional military education but are strong when it comes to working with data, and that drives battlefield innovation.
He described the change in blunt terms: “The conventional, classic war with infantry and artillery and people who are clashing [with] each other,” he said, “unfortunately, that is going to the past.”
Ukraine drones kill zone air defense interceptor drones ground robots Brave1 Oleksiy Vyskub Mykhailo Fedorov mid-range strike drones military technology defense industry