Ukraine's new kamikaze robots and 'Pelican' drones could force Putin to the negotiating table, analysts say

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.

Ukraine is deploying a new arsenal of lethal weapons — including kamikaze robots and drones dubbed 'Pelicans' — that analysts say could shift the military balance and push Vladimir Putin toward a ceasefire. Former defence minister Al Carns has separately warned that Russia will step up hybrid attacks in the coming months as Putin seeks a way out of the war. Diplomats are working the margins of this week's UN gathering in New York in hopes of breakthrough progress on a truce.

Putin is still demanding Ukraine hand over the strategic Donbas region on top of territory Russia has already seized, making a deal elusive.

A $2.7 billion US arms sale to Ukraine last week and the passage of a new sanctions law have been cited as signals that the West is not close to giving up.