UKRAINE, Jul. 2 — Ukraine will hold a grant competition aimed at developing humanoid robots for the Ukrainian military, said Andrii Hrytseniuk, the head of Brave1, Ukrainian state-owned defense tech cluster, to Militarnyi Defense military outlet.  

He added that the main goal of competition is maximizing the use of robots on the front lines and reducing risks to Ukrainian service members.

Earlier, on Mar. 13, Foundation, an American defense company, delivered its Phantom MK-1 humanoid military robots to Ukraine to evaluate their effectiveness. However, such machines are heavy and expensive, require regular recharging, can break down and often struggle to keep their balance, Militarnyi added. 

According to Hrytseniuk, this initiative reflects current global trends, as the humanoid robotics industry for civilian industry is actively developing in the United States and China.

Ukraine’s program, he added, is focused exclusively on defense needs and military use cases. Hrytseniuk explained that Ukrainian developers will start with building simpler platforms and gradually add more advanced functionality.

The new engineering solutions are expected to help Ukrainian troops hold positions more effectively and carry out combat missions.

Read more

  • Police record 34 cases of Russian FPV drones reaching Kharkiv in 2026

This summer, Russia bombs Kharkiv as much as it can, and our newsroom keeps working despite it all. If you want to support us amidst it all, please consider buying us a $5 coffee or subscribing to our community long-term.