Lower thirds:

0:03  Report by / Max Zander
0:19  Skrugh / Company Commander, Kara-Dag Brigade
1:20  Skrugh / Company Commander, Kara-Dag Brigade
1:39  Max Zander / DW Correspondent
2:28  Hrom / Battalion Commander Khartiia Brigade
3:57  Skrugh / Company Commander, Kara-Dag Brigade

Script:.

00:00
We are in eastern Ukraine, with soldiers of the Kara Dag brigade.

We’re here to see their ground robots, remote-controlled vehicles that carry supplies to frontline positions among other tasks.

Commander Scrooge shows us the latest development. 

0.18
+++SOT Skrugh, Company Commander, Kara-Dag Brigade+++
“Right now we’ve got a Browning mounted on it — a heavy machine gun. You can also mount other weapons, like an automatic grenade launcher.”

0.28
It can defend a stretch of road, fire at vehicles and even lead an attack. 

0.36
+++SOT Skrugh, Company Commander, Kara-Dag Brigade+++
“Just imagine it: a drone driving straight at you, trying to kill you.”

0.42
This is what it looks like - footage from a similar device shows Russian soldiers surrendering to a Ukrainian robot. 
Today the robot is being sent to deliver supplies to the frontline - not capture soldiers. 
The first leg of the trip is done on a trailer.
We ride along with the soldiers. .
A burnt-out truck shows Russia’s ability to strike deep behind the lines.
We’re heading toward Kupiansk, where Ukrainian gains have drawn in elite Russian drone reinforcements — a unit called Rubikon.

1.19
+++SOT Skrugh, Company Commander, Kara-Dag Brigade+++
“They arrived a few days ago and now want to show their “work.” This is how they try to exert psychological pressure on us. They’re targeting everything right now.”

1.33
When we get to the launch spot, the men load the robot. 

1.38
+++PTC Max Zander, DW Correspondent+++
“So the robot you see here is about to be sent on its way and it should arrive at its first destination at one of the frontline positions in about two hours. And that is IF the Russians don’t manage to spot it and take it out.”

1.52
Meanwhile, at  a different part of the frontline – a vantage point that shows how Ukrainian drones are reshaping battlefield tactics. It’s a choreography between machines in the air and soldiers on the ground. The drones transmit a live feed.  Soldiers watch  for incoming threats. 

+++ATMO+++

They spot a car in the distance.

2.19
+++ “It might be carrying ammunition, it might be supplies.”

2.23
The soldiers send a combat drone its way.

2.27
+++SOT Hrom, Battalion Commander Khartiia Brigade+++
“The enemy can no longer get so close to us. We prepare our actions, push the enemy back, and create a two- to three-kilometer gray zone in front of our positions so that the infantry doesn’t have to enter direct combat.”

2.43
That’s essential, because the frontline is too long to fully hold with human power.

2.50
+++INSERT: ARCHIVE+++ ((2.50-2.58))
Within that frontline grey zone, at points Russians would have to pass to make progress, the Ukrainians have set up what they call kill zones.

2.59

+++SOT Hrom, Battalion Commander Khartiia Brigade+++
“A kill zone is an area we deliberately set up — essentially a small “pocket” — where artillery is already aimed at  / where our drones can reach them as well, and where the area is mined on our side.”+++

3.16
The cold slows Russia’s offensive. Snow gives away movement. Troops stay underground in shelters.
The only casualty today - a Russian Starlink device.
Back with the ground robot, heading towards the front under skies controlled by the Russians. 
The operator maneuvers it through a protective tunnel of nets for parts of the journey.
He has to watch out for Russian FPV drones and mines. 
The robot is slower than a car, and can carry less, but crucially, it’s smaller - and doesn’’t need a driver. 

3.56
+++SOT Skrugh, Company Commander, Kara-Dag Brigade+++
“If it were still done the way it used to be, only with vehicles, we would probably have neither people nor vehicles left. / The chance of being detected is 100 percent. You set off, you’re seen, and then an FPV drone hits.” +++

4.15
Nonetheless, soon after we leave, a Russian drone blows it up. 
The mission failed - but the soldiers will send another robot tomorrow. Most importantly the only casualty was metal, not human. 
 
+++END+++