Fully autonomous killer drones reportedly used in Ukraine
Drone-maker Alexander Kokhanovskyy reportedly disclosed that ten fully autonomous killer quadcopters were deployed by Ukrainian forces near Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar, allegedly killing Russian soldiers without human control or operator confirmation. The drones operated independently with no communication link to handlers and no ability for commanders to see video feeds or intervene in targeting decisions.
What happened
Ten fully autonomous killer quadcopters were reportedly deployed during a Ukrainian counteroffensive near Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar, according to drone-maker Alexander Kokhanovskyy speaking to New Scientist.
The drones flew up to five kilometres over trenches and operated without any connection to handlers or commanders, with no video feed or communication link to base. Kokhanovskyy stated: 'We just launch it and we know everything will be dead – everything that will be found there in this particular area will be dead.'
Reported impact
The drones reportedly killed Russian soldiers on the battlefield. Human-piloted spy drones were flown into the aftermath and discovered a mangled truck and dead troops.
Index analysis
This incident reportedly represents the first documented use of fully autonomous lethal drones in armed conflict, where machines identified and attacked targets without human intervention in the decision to fire.
Governance controls
The United Nations has previously sounded alarm over lethal autonomous weapons systems, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres stating: 'There is no place for lethal autonomous weapon systems in our world.' Kokhanovskyy described the deployment as 'a test' and said 'We never implemented it [more widely].'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.