Overview
- Alexander Kokhanovskyy told reporters on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, that a one-off test two years earlier used ten quadcopter drones that severed links to handlers and then searched for and engaged targets, and he said human-piloted drones later found "a couple of soldiers and one truck".
- Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has not confirmed the account and a serving officer from an unmanned systems regiment said his unit uses semi-autonomous tools with a human always in the final decision loop.
- Defence-industry sources quoted at the same briefing said Ukrainian policy currently forbids AI from making the final lethal intercept decision, which industry figures say has kept the test from being fielded more widely.
- Kokhanovskyy is building an automated interceptor system called ALITA that he says is planned for deployment in October, but that schedule comes from the developer and has not been independently confirmed.
- The admission has prompted renewed calls from UN officials and ethicists for stricter rules or bans on lethal autonomous weapons because of accountability gaps, the risk of mistaken attacks, and pressure to loosen rules as autonomy reduces operator numbers.