Following a recent visit to Ukraine, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt stated that the future of the war will be determined exclusively by unmanned systems, with the line of contact potentially evolving into a high-tech "drone wall."
As reported by Hvylya, Schmidt outlined these views in an op-ed for the Financial Times.
He noted that despite a brutal winter and repeated offensive attempts, Russia seized less than 1% of Ukrainian territory in 2025. This marginal advance has come at a staggering cost: Ukrainian officials estimate Moscow is losing 30,000 to 35,000 soldiers every month. For a Russian assault trooper, the probability of being killed by a drone now stands at roughly one in three.
However, the adversary is adapting. Schmidt warned of emerging threats, specifically the use of fiber-optic drones that are immune to electronic warfare jamming, and the development of jet-powered Shahed drones.
"Russia has begun developing jet-powered Shahed drones, which are significantly faster and harder to intercept, and intends to scale their use to over 1,000 per day in 2026 to beat Ukraine into submission," he wrote.
Ukraine is responding by pursuing full automation of combat operations. Kyiv is building systems that allow drone operators to remain further behind the lines. Consequently, the "no man's land" is widening as both sides withdraw valuable personnel to the rear, leaving the front line to robots.
Schmidt predicts that future battles will be fought by AI-controlled drone swarms. The side that achieves aerial dominance will then deploy robotic ground platforms to clear territory. Human troops will enter the combat zone only after waves of machines have paved the way.
In the event of a frozen conflict, the border between Ukraine and Russia could transform into a lethal automated barrier.
"In the future, a 'drone wall' could be established along the line of contact, where ubiquitous automated UAVs monitor the border like a smart electric fence. This would create a hard border miles high and wide," the tech executive emphasized.
Schmidt also criticized Western nations for being unprepared for this new era of warfare. He described current Western capabilities to scale up production in wartime as "amateurish at best."
Eric Schmidt is a long-time investor in defense-tech companies, including several in Ukraine, and leads the Special Competitive Studies Project.
