Ukraine defence minister labels autonomous weapons

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s defense minister, used a stark comparison this week to describe the military role he sees for AI-enabled weapons. In an interview published by The New York Times on May 15, Fedorov said “autonomous weapons are the new nuclear weapons” and called them essential to security as Ukraine tries to offset Russia’s manpower and firepower advantages. The remark spread quickly on social media, including in a May 15 post circulated by UNITED24 Media, and it landed in a week when investors and defense watchers were also discussing specific unmanned systems and counter-drone companies. The quote came as Ukraine has been accelerating procurement of drones, unmanned ground vehicles and electronic-warfare systems for frontline use. The comparison did not come from Ukraine’s former defense minister Rustem Umerov. (nytimes.com) Current reporting identifies Fedorov as defense minister since January 2026, and the quote appears in that capacity in the Times interview. ### Who actually said the “new nuclear weapons” line? The New York Times reported on May 15 that Mykhailo Fedorov, 35, made the remark in an interview in his office at Ukraine’s Defense Ministry. (united24media.com) The article quoted him saying, “The world needs security, and only autonomous weapons can ensure it,” followed by, “Autonomous weapons are the new nuclear weapons.” Russia Matters, in a May 8-15 review published this week, separately summarized the interview the same way and attributed the line to Fedorov. (politico.eu) That matches Politico’s January reporting that Fedorov had become Ukraine’s defense minister at the start of 2026. ### What was Fedorov describing beyond the quote? Fedorov has been laying out a broader plan to move dangerous frontline work from soldiers to machines. (nytimes.com) Reuters, in a report published April 24 by Defense News, said Ukraine plans to contract 25,000 unmanned ground vehicles in the first half of 2026 and that Fedorov’s target is for “100% of frontline logistics” to be handled by robotic systems. (russiamatters.org) Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has already spent more than 14 billion hryvnia, roughly $330 million, this year to send over 181,000 drones, UGVs and electronic-warfare systems to the front, according to that Reuters report. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on April 14 that Ukrainian forces had carried out more than 22,000 unmanned missions in three months. (defensenews.com) ### Why did Milrem Robotics’ THeMIS come up in the same conversation? Milrem Robotics is one of the clearest real-world examples of the ground systems Ukraine and its partners are already fielding. The Estonian company said in September 2025 that it would deliver a record number of THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine in cooperation with an EU member state, adding to 15 THeMIS vehicles already deployed there since 2022. (defensenews.com) Milrem describes THeMIS as a modular tracked UGV that can be configured for combat, intelligence, logistics, casualty evacuation and ordnance-disposal missions. The company says the platform is in service or robotics programs in 19 countries in one statement and says on its product page that it has been acquired by 20 nations, including eight NATO members, indicating the system’s footprint has continued to expand. (milremrobotics.com) ### Where does Ondas fit into a story about autonomous weapons? Ondas is not a Ukrainian battlefield robotics company in the same mold as Milrem, but it has become part of the same investor discussion because of its autonomous drone and counter-drone business. Ondas said on May 14 that it posted record first-quarter 2026 results and raised its full-year revenue forecast to $390 million. The company says its Ondas Autonomous Systems unit sells highly automated, AI-powered drone platforms through American Robotics and Airobotics. (milremrobotics.com) Its investor materials also show recent defense-related announcements, including a counter-drone protection deployment for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. ### What is the next concrete milestone to watch? May 28 is Ondas’s scheduled 2026 annual meeting of stockholders, according to the company’s investor relations page. (ir.ondas.com) In Ukraine, Milrem has said operator training and deliveries for THeMIS vehicles are part of its support package, while Fedorov has already said the ministry has begun signing 2027 contracts for unmanned ground vehicles. (ir.ondas.com)