Ukraine's military claimed to have completely neutralized Russian military positions using only unmanned forces without a single soldier, marking the prelude to a "war without infantry" for the entire world in July 2026.

According to US Forbes reporting, Ukraine's 33rd Independent Assault Brigade announced on July 17 (local time) that it successfully completed an operation to neutralize Russian military positions that had infiltrated the Ukrainian front line. This operation proceeded in a manner rarely seen in human history. It breached enemy defensive lines using only ground combat robots and aerial drones without direct support from infantry or artillery.

The key to the operation was organic joint tactics between unmanned systems. First, ground combat robots infiltrated into the Russian military positions and performed a pinning mission, confining defensive forces within cover. While the defending forces lost visibility and had their movements restricted due to the robots' precise maneuvering and firepower, aerial drones struck accurately from above, neutralizing the positions. This is evaluated as a perfect recreation of traditional infantry "fire and maneuver" tactics by unmanned weapons.

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This operation goes beyond merely showcasing technological advancement. It has demonstrated in actual combat that completely unmanned forces alone can occupy and completely destroy an enemy's fortified positions. This shocking result shakes the very foundations of past concepts of warfare where soldiers directly took up arms and traversed battlefields. Particularly in the point of "recreating traditional infantry fire and maneuver tactics through unmanned systems," it raises fundamental questions about the role of human soldiers and signals a paradigm shift in future military strategy.

The claimed success of this operation that emerged from the Ukrainian front line is expected to have enormous ripple effects on global defense strategies and military doctrines. It suggests that the future form of warfare centered on unmanned weapons that conduct missions without the sacrifice of human troops is becoming a reality. At the same time, this raises the possibility of new security threats stemming from reduced roles of human soldiers and the potential for malfunction or misuse of unmanned technology. The international community must urgently begin in-depth deliberation and discussion on the ethical use and control measures of unmanned technology.