Ukraine's 3rd Corps carried out a tactic for the first time by using a heavy bomber drone to deploy a ground attack robot directly behind Russian positions. TechRadar reported on Sept. 27 that the operation was part of the Vivaldi counteroffensive launched in northern Donetsk in May 2026.

Troops from the 3rd Corps unmanned systems unit developed the tactic themselves. A heavy bomber drone operated by the 3rd Assault Brigade dropped an NC13 ground attack vehicle at a point more than 10 km behind Russian front lines. The wheeled robot, nicknamed "Gryphon", recorded the operation with a camera, and Ukraine said the attack caused Russian casualties.

Ukraine said it secured a tactical advantage by striking where the enemy did not expect a ground attack. In a public statement, the 3rd Corps said it can now destroy more enemy forces and resources while saving more infantry lives.

In a separate operation, the ground robot also cleared anti-personnel mines along a route of more than 18 miles. The task did not require combat engineers to be deployed directly on site, and manually carrying out the same mission would have required two engineer companies for several days. About 60 percent of demining in the 3rd Corps operating area is now handled by remotely operated robots and their operators.

Electronic warfare units disrupted more than 20,000 Russian drone missions throughout the counteroffensive. Ukraine said it has retaken up to 96 square miles of territory since the start of the Vivaldi operation and broke one axis of a Russian encirclement maneuver.

Andrii Biletskyi (안드리 빌레츠키), commander of the 3rd Corps, said Vivaldi has four seasons and this is only the first. He said there would be good news, but silence was needed for now.

Ukraine's drone strikes were also reported to have restricted diesel supplies needed for generators for nearby Russian electronic warfare equipment. Russia's elite drone unit "Rubicon" was reported to have withdrawn from the area after suffering losses from Ukrainian attacks. Russian forces are redeploying armored vehicles and drone units toward the Dobropillia direction in preparation for mechanized attacks later this autumn.

In summer, Russian forces tested a new anti-drone protection system on the latest tanks, but Ukrainian drones were also reported to have continued to overwhelm vehicles fitted with additional protective equipment.