War in Ukraine radically changed in a year – BI report
Business Insider journalists Robert Leslie and Jake Epstein, comparing their trips in spring 2025 and May 2026, noted radical changes in Ukrainian military engineering. Over the year, there has been a breakthrough in robotics, unmanned systems, and AI integration. Ukrainian units adapt with lightning speed: creating and testing new drones takes weeks. Ground robots evacuate the wounded, and bomber drones deliver supplies. The saturation of the front with drones has made large-scale offensives impossible, shifting focus to precision strikes on the rear. The decision to open fire is still made by a human.
Foreign journalists from Business Insider, Robert Leslie and Jake Epstein, revisited Ukraine and were struck by the pace of technological change on the battlefield. Comparing their trips in spring 2025 and May 2026, they noted colossal progress in the development of autonomous platforms. According to Leslie, Ukrainian units adapt with lightning speed: the creation, modification, and combat testing of new drones take only a few weeks, whereas other armies require months or years. Epstein emphasized that modern Ukrainian drones have become more advanced and rely more on AI algorithms for navigation and target acquisition. The latest technologies relieve servicemen: ground robotic systems evacuate the wounded, and large bomber drones deliver water, medicine, and food to forward positions. The journalists state that the high saturation of the front with drones has made large-scale territorial offensives impossible for both sides. The focus has shifted to long-range precision strikes on rear logistics hubs, supply lines, and energy infrastructure. Despite the widespread use of AI, the final decision to open fire is still made by a human. The authors wonder how soon AI will fully close the combat loop.