Russia-Ukraine war is accelerating the dangerous race toward fully autonomous drones

Drones with autonomous functions reduce dependence on communications links and can escape attempts at jamming. But they come with huge ethical risks.

By: Amy McAuliffe, University of Notre Dame, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: September 22, 2026

Words: 1,179

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 4 days ago

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By Amy McAuliffe, University of Notre Dame

A battlefield dominated by fully autonomous drones capable of selecting and engaging targets without human intervention sounds like a dystopian sci-fi plot. And while that scenario has not yet arrived, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has moved modern warfare a notch down that road.

In recent years, both nations have deployed semi-autonomous drones in combat and are rapidly racing toward fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles.

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