Inside a plant making Zmii ground drones: how miners have set up a robot production facility in Lviv Oblast

A group of former miners from Lviv Oblast have built a plant to produce military ground robotic systems, which are known to the Ukrainian military as Zmii (Serpent).

Ground robotic systems are expected to plan a pivotal role in Ukraine's defence industry this year. In the first half of the year alone, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence is set to purchase 25,000 robots – double the total for the whole of the previous year.

Ukrainian engineers have come a long way from their first imperfect machines to more mature systems. Today robots evacuate the wounded, transport thousands of tonnes of cargo, support assaults on positions and even take Russian troops prisoner.

Rovertech, a Ukrainian company which began in a small car service station, has grown into a nationwide network of contractors, production sites and R&D centres. The company produces all kinds of unmanned systems which are used in logistics, combat, excavation and firefighting.

Ukrainska Pravda journalists have visited Rovertech's production facilities. Read on to discover the story of the miners-turned-engineers who created one of Ukraine's most well-known unmanned combat vehicles.

How miners turned into robotics engineers

Lviv Oblast is famous for its coal mines. It is the only place in Ukraine, apart from Donbas, where coal is mined for the energy sector. It is there that many local residents work, and it is there that the story of Rovertech began.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, one of the co-founders of the company, Vasyl Korenovskyi, left his job at a mine to join the 24th Mechanised Brigade.

Serving with a reconnaissance platoon from the brigade, he saw action in Luhansk Oblast before returning to the mine in 2015, where he took up a managerial role. There he met another of the co-founders of Rovertech, Bohdan Zmyi, with whom he went on to form a friendship and business partnership.

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Vasyl re-enlisted in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, joining the 63rd Battalion within the 103rd Mechanised Brigade.

Upon returning from the front, Vasyl and Bohdan set up their own car service station. Working in a mine means not only back-breaking coal extraction but also maintaining complex machinery and mechanisms, handling metalworking and dealing with chemistry. It was therefore not difficult for them to assemble a team of skilled professionals from among old acquaintances and start their own business.

The team switched to producing ground robots after a single phone call.

Vasyl recalls: "Sometime in July 2023, a war buddy called me and said: 'You were a mechanic in the mine and you have seen action, so you understand what we need. We need a machine that can move and mow tall grass. Right now it takes eight of our bomb disposal experts two days to clear 30 sq m. They're mowing the grass on their knees using sickles, and the metal detectors often go off too late."

By the end of August, the team had developed its first mine-clearance robot – a wheeled ground drone fitted with guide rails and rapidly rotating flails that flatten grass and trigger anti-personnel mines.

Although the military's initial feedback on this machine was mixed, it marked the beginning of a great story.

In September, Borys Drozhak joined the team, helping to assemble a group of software engineers for the robot and set up the PR department. This department was crucial, as in the early stages, the company had to find volunteers willing to purchase robots for the military.

In late 2023, the three co-founders officially established Rovertech and divided responsibilities. Bohdan Zmyi became CEO, and the line of robots was named in his honour.

Vasyl says with a smile: "We spent the whole of 2024 dealing with red tape and getting the new product officially approved for service. It was difficult because we weren't used to paperwork and we weren't part of that system. I've got 15 years of experience working underground, so my mind was used to thinking in a completely different way."

The team carried out all the initial work at its car service station before later moving to a new location.

"I remember when, after the cutting was done, the materials were prepared and 12 robot bodies were assembled, we simply couldn't physically fit into the workshop anymore," Vasyl says. "We were standing shoulder to shoulder; there simply wasn't any room. That's when we realised we couldn't go on like this and found new premises. It was all rather chaotic – we were moving equipment, finalising contracts and recruiting staff."

One robot for all tasks

The idea for the Zmii Logistics robot was conceived by military personnel from the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, in particular its unmanned ground systems commander, who goes by the alias Makar.

In 2024, he proposed converting a mine-clearance system into a logistics platform. Within three days, Makar was shown the first prototype, and after trials, the unit ordered the first ten robots.

That was when the Zmii product line began to take shape. The engineers chose to build a wheeled ground drone from the outset, believing it was better suited than a tracked vehicle to the wide variety of terrain in Donetsk Oblast and Ukraine's south .

"If a robot's track breaks, it's effectively done for," Rovertech co-founder Borys Drozhak tells Ukrainska Pravda. "The wheeled version means we can get it back to base even with two flat tyres. There was a case where a logistics robot returned from a mission on a single intact wheel."

The Zmii Logistics robot can carry over 500 kg of cargo. In practice, frontline troops load it with almost twice the amount stated in the technical specifications. It can travel more than 50 km at a maximum speed of 11 km/h.

It has served as the basis for dozens of modifications. Today, not only logistics vehicles roll off the production line, but also combat robots equipped with DevDroid turrets mounted with Browning M2 machine guns or Mk 19 automatic grenade launchers.

Meanwhile, drones designed to save lives are also being produced, and the Zmii Firefighter robot is already in use combating fires across Ukraine.

Rovertech's design bureau is focused on adapting its Zmii robots for military applications. Among their developments are machines fitted with a manipulator arm and an excavator-type bucket, enabling troops to prepare positions without human involvement.

Rovertech also developed the Zmii Tipper Lorry at the request of Ukraine's Khartiia Corps. The platform features a 0.6-cubic-metre body and can carry up to 1.3 tonnes of rubble.

The vehicle was developed in response to Russia's extensive use of guided aerial bombs, which leave enormous craters on roads and disrupt logistics. The unmanned tipper lorry allows loose materials to be delivered discreetly and used to fill in such craters to repair damaged roads near the front lines.

Rovertech says all its drones are fitted with light armour protection against shrapnel. First-person view (FPV) drones often lose contact in the final seconds of flight, and their warheads detonate around 1-2 m away from ground robots. The armour helps ensure that the system and batteries sustain only minimal damage.

Oleksandr Shalahin, chief engineer at Rovertech, says the company's tried-and-tested chassis allows its R&D staff to produce customised variants for military requirements in just a few days.

"In manufacturing, it's better to have one thief than someone who treats the place like his own. Those guys are always grabbing things for a job. They need something, so they just walk into the workshop and take it. Then everyone's left asking, 'Who took it?' – 'Oh, Sasha took it.' That's why we decided to separate the R&D department and move it to a different location with its own dedicated supplies," the company's director says jokingly.

Much of Rovertech's efficiency is credited to the drive of CEO Bohdan Zmyi. He would take on any request from a customer and pass it to the company's engineers as a fait accompli: either the machine was delivered in three days, or there was no other option.

Sadly, Bohdan Zmyi died tragically in a road accident on 26 October 2025, whilst travelling to Ukraine's east after an extremely challenging crash test of combat robots by the 3rd Assault Brigade in Lviv Oblast.

A relief sculpture, gifted by employees in his honour and symbolically cracked following Bohdan's death, stands at the plant's entrance.

A new task from Ukraine's Ministry of Defence

At a working meeting, the company's directors discussed a new government contract, requests from volunteers and direct contracts with military units running until the end of the year. The daily production of ground robots must be substantially increased.

The production managers do not appear particularly pleased by what they hear, but after a few minutes of explanations punctuated by long pauses, a quiet "understood" is eventually uttered, and everyone returns to their workstations.

Parts and modules used in the production of ground robots are delivered to the company from all over Ukraine. Rovertech relies on dozens of contractors spanning the country, from Uzhhorod in the west to Kharkiv in the east.

In a corner, proudly referred to as the "warehouse", hundreds of metal blanks, sheets of metal, wheel rims for future robots, rubber and spare parts kits for repairing the delivered machines can be seen.

Rovertech also reuses components from damaged robots. Military units with which it works closely send back parts from damaged Zmii drones, which are later used in testing or in repairs of machines still in service.

Welders are highly valued at the plant, as they produce the robot's chassis, weld camera masts and assemble structural frames for new versions of the Zmii ground robot.

In another section of the workshop, a welder produces the rims that will eventually form robot wheels. Reinforced and adapted to the chassis design, they function as pre-formed wheel blanks.

The rims and tyres are sourced from Poland and Türkiye, which the company says is optimal in terms of cost, volume and quality.

Space at the facility is limited, with around 50% occupied by racks holding robot bodies awaiting final assembly.

There are roughly a hundred rectangular metal housings, complete with fastenings, mounting brackets for masts and pre-cut openings for onboard systems.

Beside them stand already assembled robots on wheels, which are moved to the final fitting area for integration of internal systems, including batteries.

Forklifts carrying finished frames, metal and rubber for new robots move constantly through the cramped workshop in a near-frenetic flow.

The chief production engineer, known by the nickname The Boss, closely monitors the production process.

All electronics and the chassis are built according to a modular design, which simplifies the replacement of damaged components.

Following production and quality checks, the drone is sent to the dispatch line, where dozens of completed robots are gathered for shipment to customers.

We were lucky enough to see the first large batch of Zmiy Droid 12.7 combat drones, ready for shipment under a government contract. The model received official approval for service at the start of the year.

The system was developed by Rovertech in cooperation with DevDroid. The latter integrated its software into the Droid Box module and mounted the Wolly 12.7 turret with a Browning M2 machine gun on the robotic platform.

The robot supports five communication modes and can engage not only infantry and vehicles, but also armoured targets such as armoured personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and tractor units.

The Ukrainian military often criticises the Zmii for its large size. Indeed, the only other mass-produced ground drone larger than it is the Protector. Its dimensions make it more conspicuous, but also provide better traction and greater resistance to debris.

Rovertech decided to develop a smaller model. It initially focused on a turret platform before moving to a logistics variant, leading to the Zmii Mini entering production.

Despite its smaller size, the robot has the same battery capacity as the larger Zmii, enabling it to carry up to 500 kg of cargo over distances of roughly 80 km.

To test the robot's practical performance, engineers ran it in continuous laps across open fields. Circle after circle, it can cover up to 100 km per day at maximum load.

The Zmii Mini has been tested for weapons integration, including a mounted grenade launcher. Its smaller size makes it easier to camouflage and better suited for ambush operations. It also offers a more compact option for units that require continuous delivery of food and ammunition to the front line.

The company intends to continue integrating engineering solutions into its own custom-built drones for the brigades, says Mariia Minevych, Deputy Director of Rovertech.

"For the 42nd Mechanised Brigade, we built a mechanical claw attachment for our Zmii to recover lost Vampire and Heavy Shot bomber drones," she says. "These UAVs are frequently lost near the front line as a result of enemy or friendly fire, or pilot error. Bringing them back for repair saves considerable time and money."

Rovertech has not ruled out exporting its ground robots, but says any joint production and investment would have to take place in Ukraine.

Vladyslav Khrystoforov, journalist of Oboronka

Photo: Anna Shtopenko, Ukrainska Pravda

Translated by Artem Yakymyshyn

Edited by Susan McDonald