Ukraine to unleash ‘BAD’ robot dogs on Russian forces in attempt to mitigate losses

Not just the Western armaments, Russian forces may soon encounter an unconventional, unprecedented challenge on the battlefield in Ukraine: Robot dogs. Kyiv might soon deploy these machines on the frontlines to carry out perilous missions, such as spying on Russian forces and detecting mines.

A recent demonstration showed the dog, known as model “BAD One”, standing up, running and jumping as per the operator’s commands. Ukraine is hopeful of reducing war casualties by deploying more of these robots on the frontlines.

“We have surveillance soldiers who get sent on reconnaissance missions (who) are most of the time very highly trained people, very experienced people (and) always exposed to risks,” the operator of the dog was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

“This dog limits the risk for soldiers and increases operational capabilities. This is the core function of the dog,” the operator added, who is an employee of a British firm.

AFP reported that an advanced version of the dog, BAD two, was not shown to its journalists due to security reasons.

The robot is powered by a battery and can last for two hours.

The machine can also be used to transport up to seven kilos of ammunition or medicines to hot spots on the battlefield.

“I can’t say how many we deployed” in Ukraine, operator Yuri said, adding: “But it will have a significant impact on the operations and increase the safety of soldiers.”

If these dogs even end up in Russian hands, operators would have the ability to erase all data in one go.

Deployment of these robots is being seen as an attempt by Ukraine to bridge the technological gap between its own and Russian forces.

Earlier, a former adviser to the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence Sergei Kuzan had complained that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have an extremely limited amount of such equipment.