Ukraine conducts first-ever combined naval drone and ground robot assault on occupied shore

Key Points

• Ukraine's 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade used an unmanned surface vessel to land an armed ground robot on the occupied Kinburn Spit
• Colonel Oleh Makukha commanded the operation, with Major Denys Hipik of the 1st Unmanned Systems Battalion coordinating the mission
• The operation is described as the world's first known combat mission combining a naval drone with an armed ground robot

Operation Details

Ukrainian forces have carried out what the military describes as the world's first known combat mission combining a naval drone with an armed ground robot, using an unmanned surface vessel to ferry a machine-gun-equipped robotic vehicle across the Black Sea and land it directly on Russian-occupied shoreline, United24 Media reported July 13, citing Ukraine's 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade.

The operation unfolded on the Kinburn Spit, a narrow strip of land in Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region that Russian forces have held since the early months of the full-scale invasion. The area remains one of the most heavily watched and dangerous coastal zones in the entire war zone. Russian surveillance drones, artillery, and reconnaissance assets blanket the spit so thoroughly that any conventional amphibious landing carries an extremely high risk of Ukrainian troops being spotted and hit before they can establish a foothold — precisely the problem this new tactic appears designed to solve.

Operators from the brigade remotely piloted an unmanned surface vessel across the water and onto the occupied shore, where it released an armed unmanned ground vehicle rather than depositing explosives or a small reconnaissance payload as similar naval drones have typically done in past missions. Once ashore, the ground robot proceeded on its own to carry out a combat task behind Russian lines, according to the brigade's account.

Official Statements

"The first known combat mission of this format in the world," the brigade said in a statement.

"The ground robotic complex was delivered to the enemy shore using an unmanned maritime platform, landed on occupied Ukrainian territory, and employed to accomplish a combat task," the brigade added.

Command and Equipment

Colonel Oleh Makukha, the 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade's commander, oversaw the operation, with direct coordination handled by Major Denys Hipik, who commands the brigade's 1st Unmanned Systems Battalion, according to the brigade's statement reported by United24 Media.

The military did not officially name the specific ground robot used in the mission, but footage released alongside the announcement points to the Rys, a Ukrainian-made unmanned ground vehicle produced by the Lviv-based company Roboneers. In this case, the robot was fitted with a PKT machine gun, a Soviet-designed 7.62mm weapon widely used across former Warsaw Pact militaries and now common on Ukrainian robotic platforms.

The Rys Platform

The Rys family has become one of the more established names in Ukraine's rapidly expanding ground robotics sector:

• Built primarily as a logistics and casualty evacuation platform
• Capable of hauling up to 150 kilograms (330 pounds) in its base configuration
• Up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds) in the heavier Rys PRO variant
• Ukrainian units have paired it with Roboneers' ShaBlya remote weapon turret to convert it into a mobile fire support platform when a combat role is needed

Roboneers has supplied the Ukrainian military since the early years of the war. Its systems, including the ShaBlya turret that traces back to 2014, have become standard enough across frontline units that soldiers operating them have described the technology in interviews as a reliable way to hold a position or support an assault without putting a crew inside the vehicle.

Broader Context

This landing fits into a broader pattern that Ukrainian forces have been building for months rather than a standalone experiment. The Defence Blog previously reported that the 115th Mechanized Brigade used an armed ground robot to provide fire support while clearing Russian troops from the village of Novoplatonivka in the Kharkiv region in June — one of several documented cases where a ground robot has taken on an active combat role rather than simply hauling supplies to soldiers already dug in.

Ukraine's overall reliance on these systems has grown sharply this year:

• Ground robotic units completed more than 16,600 logistics and evacuation missions in June alone
• This represents an 18.6 percent jump from May
• Monthly mission totals have roughly doubled every four months since the start of 2026

What makes the Kinburn Spit operation different is the integration of naval and ground unmanned systems in a single coordinated combat mission.