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

Published Jul 13, 10:05 AM UTC

Ukrainian forces executed what is described as the world's first known combat mission combining a naval drone with an armed ground robot. The operation, reported by United24 Media on July 13 and attributed to Ukraine's 123rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade, involved an unmanned surface vessel (USV) ferrying a machine-gun-equipped robotic vehicle across the Black Sea to the Russian-occupied Kinburn Spit in the Mykolaiv region. The USV landed the ground robot, identified as a Ukrainian-made Rys UGV fitted with a PKT machine gun, which then carried out a combat task behind Russian lines. The mission was commanded by Colonel Oleh Makukha and coordinated by Major Denys Hipik. This tactic aims to mitigate the high risk of conventional amphibious landings in heavily surveilled areas. The operation marks a significant evolution in drone warfare, using a sea drone as a delivery platform for an armed land robot rather than as a direct weapon or scout.