Ukraine's tech vs Russia's tradition: A frontline showdown
The war in Ukraine is the first modern war in decades where both sides have roughly comparable potential. Ukrainians are heavily investing in robotics to mitigate losses and counter the numerical superiority of the Russians. The Russians, in turn, due to a shortage of trucks and other means of transport, have brought donkeys to the front.
The realities of the war in Ukraine, where due to the widespread use of drones, the classic Clausewitzian fog of war is practically nonexistent (everyone can see each other in real-time), make supplying defensive points with food, water, ammunition, or fuel a huge challenge.
In previously fortified areas, covered and camouflaged trenches or tunnels are standard, while on so-called "fresh terrain," the norm is to use vehicles that transport supplies instead of soldiers. Alternatively, soldiers simply carry supplies on their backs.
The internet is full of videos, for example, of Ukrainian MRAPs delivering needed items near the trenches and taking away the wounded in the other direction. On the Russian side, there have recently been many motorcyclists or civilian cars like Ladas or UAZs. While an MRAP can survive a few hits from FPV drones, civilian vehicles do not have the same resilience.
Robots vs. pack animals — A clash of two worlds in Ukraine
The Ukrainians received several Estonian THeMIS robots, which apparently inspired the creation of simpler rovers visible in the following footage. This type of rover can transport about 450 kilograms of cargo over a distance of 10 kilometres for the model shown.
Communication with the control station is done via a deployable fibre optic cable, whose spool is protected from mud by an empty water bottle with a capacity of roughly 19 litres. This is currently the simplest communication method entirely immune to electronic warfare systems, because the only way to stop such a drone or rover is its physical elimination.
Such a rover allows for more covert transportation of supplies from a logistics point to a resistance point, as it is less visible in thermal imaging and easier to camouflage than a human. Moreover, its loss is not as painful as losing, for example, an armoured vehicle with a crew or a group of front-line porters.
On the other hand, both sides have used improvised wheeled stretchers or wheelbarrows for transporting weapons and other items. In the recordings below, you can see a Ukrainian transporting a Javelin in a wheelbarrow and Russian soldiers carrying supplies.
Recently, photos or videos from Russian trenches featuring front-line donkeys have become popular online. Animals are used on a limited scale in many of the world's armed forces in mountain units, where until transport robots become widespread, there are simply no more effective porters than donkeys or mules.
However, the mass appearance of donkeys on the Russian side indicates a huge shortage of military vehicles and a lack of personnel. The Russians, to make any progress on the front, must attack with a significant numerical advantage, which results in considerable losses.
In this context, using donkeys capable of carrying loads that would otherwise require a few soldiers can free up personnel previously involved in logistics for assault tasks.
