Russia war latest: Putin’s forces surrender to army robots in battlefield first, Zelensky says

Ukrainian robots deployed into ‘most dangerous areas’ of frontline, says Zelensky
Ukraine says its forces have retaken territory in an operation using only unmanned robots and drones , the first time this has happened in the course of the war .

Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian soldiers surrendered when confronted by army robots after an advance "carried out without infantry and without losses on our side".

“For the first time in the history of this war, an enemy position was taken exclusively by unmanned platforms – ground systems and drones,” he said on X.

Zelensky said Ukraine has carried out 22,000 missions using unmanned systems in the past three months, saving potentially thousands of lives.

“This is about high technology protecting the highest value – human life," he added.

Earlier, Hungary’s incoming prime minister Péter Magyar indicated that he would end Budapest's refusal to allow the EU to loan €90bn to Ukraine, and that he would urge Russian president Vladimir Putin to end his war.

Russian drone attacks hospital in Kherson, injuring five
A Russian drone has attacked a hospital and civilian vehicle in the Tsentralnyi district of Ukraine’s southern city of Kherson , Ukrainian authorities said.

Four of the hospital’s employees and a 62-year-old man were injured in the attack at 9am local time (7am BST), according to military administration officials in the region.

The 62-year-old, a local resident, was diagnosed with a shrapnel wound to the head, concussion, a blast injury and a closed traumatic brain injury, and was rushed to hospital where his condition was assessed as moderate.

Officials believed a Molniya-type drone was used to carry out the attack - a low-cost kamikaze drone designed for tactical strikes behind front lines.

Zelensky lands in Berlin for Merz meeting
Zelensky to meet Norwegian PM after Berlin trip in diplomatic whip-round
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Norway on Tuesday and meet prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, the presidential office said.

Mr Zelensky is currently on a visit to Berlin, where he is meeting German chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Watch: Firefighters battle blaze after Russian drone strike in Sumy region
Russia launches large attack on Odesa ports and civilian targets
Russia has launched a heavy attack on Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, attacking infrastucture and civilia targets.

Odesa’s Izmail port was attacked and a civilian Panama-flagged vessel damaged, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

Kyiv’s deputy prime minister Oleksiy Kuleba said Russian forces are “once again deliberately striking critical infrastructure and logistics in the Odesa region”.

In the surrounding region, a car repair shop was destroyed and a blaze due to caused by the strikes consumed two passenger buses and seven cars, regional governor Oleh Kiper said.

Six private houses also came under attack, with their roofs damaged.

An ambulance was also damaged, Kiper said, adding that no one was hurt in the attack.

Regional prosecutors said 51-year-old man was hospitalised.

Merz to host Zelensky in Berlin on Tuesday
German chancellor Friedrich Merz will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Berlin on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the German government said.

Ukraine’s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, has already been welcomed by German counterpart Boris Pistorius.

What are the robots being used by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield?

Over the past several months, Ukrainian forces have been increasingly deploying agile, remote-controlled armoured vehicles to carry out critical tasks and to protect personnel in hazardous operations.

The army uses these "robots on wheels," which resemble miniature tanks, as it grapples with a soldier shortage in a conflict now spanning over three and a half years.

These versatile machines are capable of ferrying essential supplies, clearing dangerous mines, and evacuating both the wounded and the deceased.

Announcing the operation on Monday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Ratel, TerMIT, Ardal, Rys, Zmiy, Protector, Volia, and our other ground robotic systems have already carried out more than 22,000 missions on the front in just three months.

Russian forces are also known to use robots on the battlefield.

“It cannot fully replace people,” said the commander of a platoon of the 20th Lyubart Brigade, who goes by the call sign Miami.

“I would put it this way: A person can go in there, but for a human it’s (sometimes) far too dangerous.”
The robotic vehicles are mostly made by Ukrainian companies and range in cost from about $1,000 (£739) to as much as $64,000 (£42,279), depending on their size and capabilities.

Power restored at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after 13th outage
Power at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been restored after it was lost for the 13th time since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The power was restored through the Ferosplavna-1 330 KV Power Line, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

As we earlier reported, the IAEA said it was the 13th time ‌since the ⁠start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that the plant had lost all off-site power supply.

Even though it has been shut down since the start of the war, the plant needs power to maintain cooling systems.

The Russia-appointed management of the occupied plant later said power had been restored via ​one ⁠line.

Watch: Vance says support for Orbán was ‘right thing to do’ despite loss
Hungary's Magyar to undo Orban's damage and allow EU loan to Ukraine soon
The incoming Hungarian prime minister Peter Magyar has said his country will end its long-standing opposition to the European Union’s €90bn loan for Ukraine.

Magyar said the decision on the loan “was already made in December” and the incoming Tisza administration “would like to be coherent” with previous commitments made.

Magyar added that the decision on the loan’s clearance could be made even before his government takes office, but added that the country would not be able to contribute financially, blaming Orban’s outgoing administration.

“I will discuss with European leaders but I personally agree that Hungary should opt out, Hungary is in a very difficult situation," Magyar said.

"We cannot take out even more loans, the Hungarian budget deficit has tripled since 2010,” he said.

Orban had initially agreed to allow the loan to go ahead but then changed his mind, saying Ukraine must first repair a pipeline carrying Russian oil through the country to Hungary.

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