Russian Unmanned Ground Vehicles Deployment by Dmitry Rogozin: Insight into Sending Robotic Vehicles to Ukraine and its Implications
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As of mid-2025, the Marker Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) developed by the Advanced Research Foundation and Android Technologies, is not reported to have advanced AI-enabled autonomous combat capabilities or to be widely deployed in active combat in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian-Ukraine conflict and recent military analyses do not mention the Marker UGV being employed autonomously for combat tasks or being a significant factor in engagements in that region. Instead, Russian forces in Ukraine are relying on electronic warfare, human-led units with adapting tactics, and conventional munitions.
Despite Russia's development of robotic systems and unmanned platforms, concrete evidence of the Marker UGV's operational autonomous AI capability or combat deployment in eastern Ukraine remains absent in authoritative recent military analyses or battlefield reports.
The focus of Russian tech impact in Ukraine currently emphasizes electronic warfare systems that jam and spoof enemy signals, rather than advanced AI-enabled autonomous combat UGVs. The Marker UGV has not been quoted as having entered operational service with AI-driven autonomy or performing ground combat roles independently.
The Marker UGV, the second Russian UGV to go into actual combat after the Uran-9, has five total variants. These include versions for reconnaissance, combat, guard, logistics, and cargo transport. The combat version can be equipped with antitank guided missiles, automatic grenade launchers, and machine guns, while the guard version is equipped with sensors for visible and infrared ranges.
The Marker logistics version is for cargo transport and potential evacuation of wounded from combat. An experiment conducted by its developers saw several UGVs traveling across forested terrain on their own to a preselected destination.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) designed the Marker UGV to "safeguard soldiers and make missions more effective." However, the contributions of the Marker UGV in the near term are likely to do little to affect the balance on the battlefield or influence the outcomes of spring offensives, given the presumably limited numbers of actual Marker vehicles and the obstacles Russia has encountered in developing and fielding UGVs to this point.
The Marker UGV's success may open the possibility for subsequent testing of other vehicles. The Russian defense sector has multiple UGV projects, including the Platforma-M UGV, Nerehta UGV concept, Soratnik mid-sized UGV, Kungas family of UGVs, Shturm UGV, Vihr/Udar UGV, and others.
The Russian military tested the Uran-9 UGV in Syria in 2018, admitting that the technology is not yet ready for direct combat. Similarly, the presence of the Marker UGV in the Donbas may be more a reflection of a former bureaucrat with the right connections than an actual MOD combat stress test.
On February 2, 2023, Dmitry Rogozin announced the arrival of several Marker UGVs in the Donbas, Ukraine. However, the operational status and combat capabilities of these UGVs remain unclear.
In conclusion, while the Marker UGV is a significant step in Russia's development of autonomous, robotic, and artificial intelligence technologies, its impact on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine remains limited as of 2025. The Russian military's observed adaptation in Ukraine has centered on other technologies and human unit evolution rather than autonomous AI UGVs.
- The Marker UGV's success in the battlefield may lead to further testing of other autonomous, robotic, and artificial intelligence technologies in the Russian defense sector.
- Despite the presence of the Marker UGV in the Donbas, Ukraine, its operational status and combat capabilities remain unclear.
- Military analyses do not mention the Marker UGV being employed autonomously for combat tasks or being a significant factor in engagements in eastern Ukraine.
- The Marker UGV can be equipped with sensors for visible and infrared ranges, making it a valuable asset for military intelligence and reconnaissance missions.
- In addition to the combat version, the Marker UGV has variants for guard, logistics, and cargo transport, highlighting its versatility in national security operations.
