Military — 2026-10-01

Former Defense Minister Fedorov Launches Army of Robots Manhattan Project to Replace Infantry With Autonomous Systems

BLUFFedorov's six-month and one-year timelines far outpace current autonomous ground-combat technology, making this initiative more useful as a funding vehicle and political brand than a near-term infantry substitute.

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced the "Army of Robots" at the IT Arena conference in Lviv, and told Defense News he wants humanoid-like robots to eventually substitute for Ukrainian infantry 12. C4ISRNet reported he set targets of a first confirmed battlefield result within six months and a robot-led assault without infantry within a year, starting with investment in already-tested products 1. RTE, relaying Suspilne, said the project will invest in defense tech firms, run in-house R&D, and test with the Defence Forces 2. C4ISRNet cited Defense Ministry data showing over 25,000 ground-robot logistics and evacuation missions in August, while noting most humanoid designs in Fedorov's video are not yet in combat use 1.

Analysis
Fedorov's six-month target will be tested by investment announcements and partner companies rather than fielded humanoids, because he says he will fund already-tested products instead of running new R&D. Ground robots flew over 25,000 logistics and evacuation missions in August, but nearly all remain human-operated, so the distance to a robot-led assault without infantry within a year is wide. The dated milestones are new, with two or three unnamed partners already funded. Sourcing rests on one primary outlet, C4ISRNet's exclusive interview, with RTE rewriting the announcement. The timelines may serve mainly to recruit engineers and capital and to build the profile of Fedorov's separate company, whose first investor is Palantir's CEO.

2 sources