“Robot doesn’t bleed” — this is the expression that sums up, according to CNN’s senior international analyst, Américo Martins, the logic that came to dominate the battlefield in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
In an account of what he observed on the front line, Américo described a conflict increasingly marked by the use of drones, ground robots, satellite internet and massive data analysis.
Robots and drones replace soldiers in the most dangerous tasks
The are not humanoid figures, but rather small land vehicles controlled remotely — described by Américo as “little tanks”.
Despite their simple appearance, they are equipped with machine guns, fire bombs and have the ability to rescue injured soldiers and transport supplies to the front line.
“Robots don’t bleed,” stated Martins, summarizing the principle that guides the increasing use of these machines in conflict.
The logic is clear: sending equipment in place of soldiers reduces human casualties in extremely high-risk areas.
Drones, in turn, have already demonstrated their impact from the first moments of the war.
The analyst recalled that, at the beginning of the conflict, columns of Russian tanks advancing towards Kiev were equipped with improvised explosives.
As a result, the Russians began to electronically interfere with the devices’ communication.
The Ukrainian response was to innovate: drones began to be connected by fiber optic coils of up to 20km, making interference impossible.
“There is no way you can interfere with the communication of a drone like this”, explained Américo.
The “Killzone”: strip of land where any movement can be fatal
The current front line is defined by a strip of approximately 20km on each side of the so-called contact line, monitored around the clock by drones.
This area became known as the Killzone — a no man’s land where, according to Martins, “anything that moves there dies”.
The also made trenches obsolete: “the trench no longer makes sense, you have the drone flying over it”, explained Américo.
He highlighted that, in 2023, when he was in Ukraine, it was still possible to see many trenches, in a scenario reminiscent of the First World War — something that disappeared with the technological evolution of the conflict.
Soldiers positioned in dens and advanced positions can spend months confined, under constant bombardment, without being able to move.
It is in this context that land robots become essential to bring food, water and weapons to these fighters.
Américo also reported the testimony of a Brazilian soldier fighting on the Ukrainian side, according to whom, when the Russians identify an unguarded position, the advance is overwhelming.
“It looks like the Mad Max movie. Everything comes — tank, tricycle, motorcycle, whatever you have to try to advance a few kilometers on that border”, he described.
Artificial intelligence and data analysis enter the equation
Another central aspect reported by Américo is the intensive use of data.
As it is a war fought in Europe, with wide access to the internet, everything is filmed and recorded.
Ukraine has a large number of analysts dedicated to processing this information and applying it in the so-called “robotic warfare”.
With the help of artificial intelligence, it is possible to identify behavior patterns of enemy soldiers and determine the best way to attack with drones.
“It is a war, on the one hand, very technological, on the other hand, stupidly violent”, concluded Américo Martins.
