Robots vs. donkeys: High-tech meets old‑school in Ukraine war
The war in Ukraine is the first modern conflict in decades where both sides have roughly comparable potential. It is evident that Ukrainians are heavily investing in robotics to mitigate losses and counter the numerical superiority of the Russians. On the other hand, the Russians, facing a shortage of trucks and other transport means, have resorted to using donkeys at the front.
The realities of the war in Ukraine, where the widespread use of drones has significantly reduced the classic Clausewitzian fog of war (everyone can virtually observe each other live), 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. On newly contested terrain, however, the norm is to use vehicles to transport supplies instead of soldiers, or soldiers simply carry supplies on their backs.
The internet is full of footage showing Ukrainian MRAPs delivering necessities near the trenches and taking away the wounded. On the Russian side, there have been many motorcyclists or civilian cars like Ladas or UAZs. While an MRAP can withstand several hits from FPV drones, the same cannot be said for civilian vehicles.
robots vs. pack animals — a clash of two worlds in Ukraine
The Ukrainians received a number of Estonian THeMIS robots, inspiring the creation of simpler rovers visible in subsequent footage. These types of rovers can transport hundreds of pounds of cargo over a distance of 6 miles for the model shown.
Communication with the control station is done via a deployable fiber optic cable, whose spool is protected from mud by an empty 5-gallon water bottle. This is currently the simplest way for communication entirely immune to electronic warfare systems because the only way to stop such a flying drone or rover is by physically eliminating it.
Such a rover allows for more covert transportation of supplies from a logistics point to a resistance point because it is less visible in thermal imaging and easier to camouflage than a human. Moreover, its loss is not as painful as, for example, losing an armored vehicle with a crew or a group of front-line porters.
Both sides have also 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 frequent appearance of donkeys on the Russian side indicates a significant shortage of military vehicles and a lack of personnel. To make progress on the front, the Russians must attack with a large numerical advantage, resulting in significant losses.
In this context, using donkeys capable of carrying as much as a few people can free up some soldiers previously involved in logistics to perform assault tasks.
