Russia and Ukraine Deploy Fully Autonomous AI Combat Drones

The Federal Government of Russia and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine are engaged in a technological race to deploy fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These systems utilize AI-driven computer vision and guidance to navigate and strike targets without human intervention, specifically to overcome electronic warfare jamming and disrupted communication links.

Russia reportedly fielded the V2U drone in early 2025, which uses an Nvidia computer for autonomous decision-making, and has integrated seeker guidance into its Geran series. These capabilities have resulted in collateral damage, including a Russian AI-enabled strike on a gas station in Zaporizhzhia that killed three civilians.

Ukraine has developed modular AI packages for target identification. Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that Ukraine has used drones in Crimea that autonomously choose targets without radio connections. Fully autonomous quadcopters have also been employed against Russian forces in Bakhmut.

The two nations maintain different ethical frameworks for these weapons. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine requires humans to verify targets in the final stages of interception to keep a human in the loop. In contrast, Russian officials focus on the ability to deactivate or limit systems rather than requiring human verification for target engagement.