Extraordinary footage has emerged showing multiple Russian soldiers surrendering to an armed Ukrainian combat robot.
Video shows three Russian troops dressed in white military gear lying on the ground while a robot advances towards them, forcing the soldiers to stand up.
The Russians cautiously walk toward the machine – one of them covered in blood – as they lift their hands in the air to surrender.
The terrified fighters then lie back down on the snowy ground as they submit to the Ukrainian weapon.
The surrender was achieved by a remotely controlled Droid TW-7.62 – a Ukrainian-made reconnaissance and strike unmanned ground vehicle designed for combat and surveillance missions.
The drone was mounted on a NUMO platform and was fitted with a remotely operated 7.62mm machine gun turret.
It is described as a reconnaissance and strike ground robotic complex from Ukrainian defence firm DevDroid, adapted to fire a PKT-type machine gun and equipped with elements of artificial intelligence for target detection, tracking and fire control.
The machine is the first known ground combat robot to successfully capture enemy soldiers during active fighting.
Screen grab shows Russian soldiers surrendering to an armed Ukrainian combat robot
The Russians can be seen as they cautiously walk toward the machine as they lift their hands in the air to surrender
Russian fighters lie on the snowy ground as they submit to the Ukrainian weapon
The operation was monitored by an unmanned aerial drone.
It is believed to be the first time a video has captured troops surrendering to a ground combat robot during active fighting.
As it nears the four-year mark since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv now stands as the world leader in making armed robots and drones to fight against Vladimir Putin’s troops.
The video highlights how rapidly the war in Ukraine is transforming modern combat methods, with robots replacing infantry, with ground drones becoming widely used in reconnaissance, assault and evacuation efforts – reducing Ukrainian casualties while maintaining pressure on Russian positions.
In July last year, Ukraine’s Third Assault Brigade reported a comparable incident in the Kharkiv region, where Russian troops surrendered after being attacked exclusively by FPV drones and ground robotic platforms.
That operation was hailed by Ukrainian forces as the first confirmed assault conducted entirely by unmanned systems, but it was not documented in the same way.
Footage from the violent front line comes as a report warned on Tuesday that the number of soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides of Russia’s war on Ukraine could reach two million by spring.
The report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies came less than a month before the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
The surrender was achieved by a remotely controlled Droid TW-7.62
One of the Russian soldiers appears to be covered in blood
As the war grinds through another bitterly cold winter, Russian strikes damaged an apartment block on Wednesday on the outskirts of Kyiv on Wednesday, killing two people. Nine others were injured in attacks in the Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Kryvyi Rih and in the front-line Zaporizhzhia region.
The CSIS report said Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025.
‘Despite claims of battlefield momentum in Ukraine, the data shows that Russia is paying an extraordinary price for minimal gains and is in decline as a major power,’ the report said. ‘No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II.’
The report estimated that Ukraine, with its smaller army and population, had suffered between 500,000 and 600,000 military casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths.
Neither Moscow nor Kyiv gives timely data on military losses, and each side seeks to amplify the other side’s casualties.
Commenting on the report, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that the research could not be considered ‘reliable information’ and that only Russia’s Ministry of Defence was authorised to provide information on military losses.
The ministry has not released figures on battlefield deaths since a statement in September 2022 that said just under 6,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.
A report warned on Tuesday that the number of soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides of Russia’s war on Ukraine could reach two million by spring. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers operate a Ukrainian 2S22 Bohdana 155 mm self-propelled howitzer to strike Russian manpower and equipment in the Pokrovsky direction in Donetsk region, Ukraine, on January 23, 2026
Rescuers carry the coffin of their colleague Oleksandr Zibrov during a farewell ceremony in Kyiv on January 28, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine
People pass by damaged cars near an apartment building after a Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026
Firefighters work in a residential area damaged during overnight Russian drone strikes, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine January 28, 2026
The Ukrainian government had no immediate comment on the report. In an interview with NBC in February 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that more than 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the war began.
The CSIS report estimated that at current rates, combined Russian and Ukrainian casualties may be as high as 1.8 million and could reach two million by spring.
The figures from the CSIS were compiled using the Washington-based think tank’s own analysis, data published by independent Russian news site Mediazona with the BBC, estimates by the British government and interviews with state officials.
