Corn in the fields grows unchecked; villages lie ruined and empty, and burnt-out cars sit along the roads. There are no visible clashes, yet the area in Kharkiv region near the Russian border feels eerie.

Reconnaissance drone feeds and fixed cameras stream continuously to monitors in a Ukrainian command post. Here the National Guard’s Khartiia Brigade watches the region from a basement command point a few kilometers from the front north of Kharkiv.

The battalion commander, known as “Thunder,” keeps his gaze fixed on the screens. With clear skies, reconnaissance must be thorough. “If the enemy gets close to our positions, then we’ve overlooked something somewhere,” he says.

Traditional trenches and shelters no longer offer enough protection, Thunder explains: infantry on both sides are digging into underground tunnels to escape drone attacks. To detect the enemy, brigade members “read signs on the ground from the sky,” looking for subtle clues — discarded trash in abandoned streets, recently disturbed soil in gardens, or a small pile of wood in a yard.

Pilot Oleksiy steers a drone toward a house and spots something near a well. “It looks like animal tracks, but theoretically someone could have stopped there to fetch water. We’ll have to check that out later,” he says. He notes a civilian vehicle that earlier stopped briefly by a clump of trees. “The enemy is constantly supplying its infantry,” Oleksiy adds.

When the brigade locates a Russian hideout, combat drones are sent in. “Russia does the same,” Thunder says. “Whoever has the best hideouts and the upper hand with drones dominates.”

To keep underground shelters undiscovered, Ukrainian forces increasingly use unmanned ground vehicles instead of cars to move supplies, clear mines and evacuate the wounded. These robotic systems can carry 200 to 700 kilograms of cargo.

Enemy forces actively hunt these ground robots, says a commander nicknamed “Scrooge.” At midnight on the Kupiansk front, on the steppe outside a village, his brigade hurried to load quadcopters, combat gear, provisions and fuel onto platforms. They moved quickly because enemy combat drones had been seen just five kilometers away.

The ground robot “Dream” was sent first and was expected to arrive in two hours, piloted from 40 kilometers away and accompanied by a reconnaissance drone from about 20 kilometers off. Halfway to its destination Dream had to stop after an enemy combat drone was sighted. About an hour later the platform was attacked and its cargo seen burning back at the company control point.

Scrooge calls Dream an “experienced fighter” that sustained two “wounds” and expects mechanics may repair it. Other deliveries succeeded, and for him the loss is acceptable. “It’s just a machine,” he says. “The main thing is that no people die.”

Scrooge says Ukrainian ground robots are advancing faster than Russia’s. In his company workshop he shows a combat platform armed with a large-caliber US Browning machine gun. The platform can destroy enemy troops and equipment, and batteries allow long standby times.

“If a robot with a machine gun can attack the enemy from a distance of one and a half kilometers, that alone is psychologically difficult for those under attack,” says Yuriy, the company mechanic.

Scrooge, from a military family, predicts a future where robots and drones replace soldiers on the battlefield. “People will be sitting 100 kilometers away and controlling them,” he says. He adds that all of the night operations observed could be controlled from anywhere in the world.

This article originally appeared in Ukrainian.

The corn in the fields stands several feet tall — it hasn’t been harvested in a long time. Villages are destroyed and deserted. Burnt-out car wrecks line the roadsides. There is no immediate sign of fighting — the area in the Kharkiv region near the Russian border feels eerie.

Images from reconnaissance drones and stationary cameras stream continuously to monitors at a Ukrainian command post. The National Guard’s Khartiia Brigade watches the region from a basement command post in an abandoned building a few kilometers from the front north of Kharkiv.

The battalion commander, who goes by “Thunder,” watches the screens without looking away. With clear weather and no cloud cover, reconnaissance must be especially alert. “If the enemy advances close to our positions, then we’ve overlooked something somewhere,” Thunder said.

Traditional trenches and shelters no longer guarantee safety. “The entire infantry — both Ukrainian and enemy soldiers — are digging into underground tunnels to remain out of reach of attack of the drones,” he said.

To spot enemy traces, brigade members carefully “read signs on the ground from the sky.” They hunt for subtle clues: trash left on the streets of abandoned villages, freshly churned earth in gardens, a small pile of wood in the middle of a yard.

Pilot Oleksiy steered a drone toward one house and saw something suspicious near a well. “It looks like animal tracks, but theoretically someone could have stopped there to fetch water. We’ll have to check that out later,” he said. He scanned a nearby road where reconnaissance had earlier spotted a civilian vehicle that had stopped for a few minutes near a cluster of trees.

“The enemy is constantly supplying its infantry,” Oleksiy said.

When the brigade discovers a Russian hideout, combat drones are dispatched. “Russia does the same thing,” Thunder said. “Whoever has the best hideouts and the upper hand with drones dominates.”

Delivering supplies with ground robots

Protecting underground shelters from detection is vital. As a result, Ukraine’s forces increasingly rely on unmanned ground vehicles instead of cars to move supplies and equipment, clear mines and evacuate the wounded. Different robotic systems can carry 200 to 700 kilograms (440–1,540 pounds).

The enemy actively hunts Ukrainian ground robots, said a commander known as “Scrooge.” His brigade sends unmanned platforms loaded with supplies to forward positions every night. DW met him at midnight in the steppe on the outskirts of a village along the Kupiansk front in Kharkiv region.

Quadcopters, combat gear, provisions and fuel were hurriedly loaded onto platforms. Everything had to happen fast because enemy combat drones were circling only about 5 kilometers away.

‘Dream’ is shattered

First, a ground robot nicknamed “Dream” was sent. The plan estimated a two-hour arrival; a pilot controlled Dream from 40 kilometers away while a reconnaissance drone provided overwatch from about 20 kilometers.

Halfway along, Dream stopped suddenly when an enemy combat drone was spotted. About an hour later, the platform came under attack. At the company’s control point they watched the cargo catch fire.

Scrooge said Dream was an “experienced fighter” and had sustained two “wounds”; mechanics would likely repair it. Other deliveries that night succeeded, so losing Dream was not catastrophic. “It’s just a machine,” Scrooge said. “The main thing is that no people die.”

Robots and drones instead of soldiers

Scrooge said Ukrainian ground robots are advancing faster than Russia’s. He showed a combat platform in his company workshop mounted with a large-caliber US Browning machine gun.

He said the platform could destroy enemy troops and equipment and that batteries allow long standby periods. “If a robot with a machine gun can attack the enemy from a distance of 1½ kilometers, that alone is psychologically difficult for those under attack,” said Yuriy, the company mechanic.

Scrooge, a career soldier from a military family, predicted it will become normal for technology — robots and drones — to dominate battlefields. “People will be sitting 100 kilometers away and controlling them,” he said. “All the operations you saw here tonight could be controlled from anywhere in the world.”

This article originally appeared in Ukrainian.