Ukraine’s military can now order ground robotic systems directly through the DOT‑Chain Defence digital marketplace, marking a notable expansion of frontline procurement and battlefield automation.
Units can now independently select and order unmanned ground systems for evacuation, logistics, ammunition delivery, and other missions.
This functionality comes as part of a broader weapons marketplace that offers more than 470 items from 135 manufacturers, including first-person view (FPV) drones, fiber‑optic-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles, interceptor drones, and electronic warfare equipment.
Ground robotic systems were previously supplied only under the “Army of Drones Bonus” program, but have now become a standard component of the marketplace available to all units.
“The nature of warfare is evolving, there is increasing demand for capabilities that enable missions without exposing personnel to the strike zone,” Arsen Zhumadilov, Director of the Defence Procurement Agency DOT, said.
DOT‑Chain Defence lets units browse available systems, place orders, and receive equipment quickly, while the Defence Procurement Agency handles financing, contracts, and delivery oversight.
Growth of DOT‑Chain Defence
DOT‑Chain Defence was launched in July 2025 as part of Ukraine’s effort to modernize and digitize defense procurement.
An initial pilot phase with about 10 brigades was funded with 1 billion Ukrainian hryvnia ($23 million), and deliveries reduced equipment wait times from months to weeks.
Deliveries through the marketplace included more than 17,000 drones in the first two months of operation.
Over the course of 2025, the platform expanded rapidly. By October 2025, access was scaled to 130 brigades, backed by additional funding, and average delivery times for stocked drones dropped to about 10 days. In November, the government recorded 100,000 FPVs delivered.
Integration continued into late 2025 and early 2026, bringing total participation to around 180 units.
By January 2026, DOT‑Chain Defence had supplied more than 225,000 strike assets to Ukrainian forces, sourced exclusively from domestic manufacturers and significantly shortening the cycle from planning to battlefield deployment.
