First Confirmed Autonomous Drone Killing in Ukraine: AI-Controlled Weapons Test Results in Casualties

Alexander Kokhanovskyy, CEO of Ukrainian drone maker Aero Center, told New Scientist at a Ukrainian embassy press event in London that a test involving 10 fully autonomous AI-controlled quadcopter drones was conducted roughly two years ago near the front-line cities of Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar. The drones were preprogrammed to fly 3–5 kilometres to the front line before activating an AI 'Terminator mode' that sought out and attacked any target in the area, with no video feed or human control during the engagement. Human-piloted drones sent to assess the aftermath found 'a couple of soldiers' and a truck, leading to the conclusion that the autonomous drones had killed them. Kokhanovskyy stressed the test was a one-off and has not been repeated, citing Ukrainian government rules that currently ban AI involvement in the final stage of target interception. A senior Ukrainian military commander separately told New Scientist that his forces always maintain a human in the loop, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence did not respond to questions about the test. Ethicists such as Oxford's Professor Mariarosaria Taddeo have condemned fully autonomous lethal systems as 'horrendous' and indiscriminate, warning that civilians will inevitably be put in harm's way. While no binding international treaty bans such weapons, the UN Secretary-General has called for one, and experts note that fully autonomous systems remain rare on the battlefield despite rapid advances in drone AI capabilities.