In brief: Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) received a Termit 2.0 ground robotic complex (GRC) on Wednesday, Nov. 4, which is able to carry up to 500 kilograms (1,120 pounds) of vital cargo to high-risk areas. The donation comes as Ukraine increases its GRC use to preserve human lives, both on the battlefield and during rescue operations. In so-called “double-tap” strikes, Russian forces repeatedly target rescuers who are responding to the aftermath of earlier attacks.
A unit of Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) received a Termit 2.0 ground robotic complex (GRC) named “Marsupilami” on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
The robot, handed over with the support of the Serhii Prytula Charity Foundation and the non-governmental organization (NGO) INSCIENCE, can carry up to 500 kilograms (1,120 pounds) of vital cargo to hazardous areas.
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“Such solutions allow for the safer and more efficient completion of complex tasks, while preserving what is most valuable – human lives,” DSNS said.
The announcement comes as Ukraine increases its GRC use to preserve personnel lives across several sectors.
For rescuers, that need has grown more urgent as Russia increasingly relies on so-called “double-tap” strikes, hitting emergency crews as they respond to the aftermath of earlier attacks.
Taking over frontline tasks
Beyond rescue operations, GRCs are also widely used on the battlefield, where they perform some of the high-risk missions instead of military personnel.
In June, the Ministry of Defense unveiled that Ukraine had already carried out more than 50,000 logistics and evacuation missions using GRCs since January.
Such systems allow for deliveries of supplies, including weapons and ammunition, while also being able to evacuate the wounded in cases where lingering poses an additional threat.
“Every month, the use of robots increases,” the Ministry of Defense reported at the time, adding that the number of units using them “has increased from 117 to 230.”
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The estimated number has since been surpassed as the country increasingly relies on remotely operated, AI-supported unmanned vehicles.
Rescuers killed in Komyshuvakha strike
Russian forces dropped nine guided aerial bombs (KABs) on Monday, Nov. 2, first hitting residents who had come to collect humanitarian aid in the school, and then, in a so-called “double-tap” strike, the rescuers and police officers who arrived at the scene.
The school’s shelter, where residents hid, was attacked as well.
Two emergency workers, Denys Konovalenko and Oleksii Sushchevskyi, both 44, were killed in the strike, while two more rescuers were hospitalized.
The overall death toll climbed to 40 on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding that 30 more people may still be trapped under the rubble.
Due to the constant threat of repeated strikes, the search and rescue operation has proven to be extremely difficult.
Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian emergency responders at least 401 times since the start of the full-scale invasion, killing at least 43 and wounding around 258, according to a report published on May 6.
In June, five DSNS rescuers were killed and at least five others wounded in a double-tap strike while fighting a fire.
A firefighter with over 20 years in service was killed in a “double-tap” attack on Aug. 24.
On Oct. 24, three emergency rescues were wounded during Russia’s drone attacks on Kharkiv.
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