Russia tests 'Stalker' robot for demining in occupied Donbas territories

The Russian armed forces conducted tests of a 30-tonne robot named Stalker in the occupied territories of Donbas. This robot is designed for demining operations, as reported on Monday by the Unian agency, citing information from the Ministry of Defence of Russia.

Stalker is a remotely controlled tracked vehicle developed by the Russian company DST-Ural. It is equipped with a special mine-clearing device. This allows it to remove anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, which can be hidden up to about 30 centimetres beneath the ground surface.

The robot is controlled via a special console, which is managed by a pilot located 1 to about 3 kilometres away from the robot. This distance depends on various factors, including obstacles such as radio interference. The Stalker robot has four cameras that transmit the image to the command post. This allows the operator to have a complete view of the situation and to control the device effectively.

Stalker is powered by an engine with 540 horsepower, reaching about 10 kilometres per hour. However, when the robot uses the mine-clearing device, its maximum speed drops to about 5 kilometres per hour. This shows how complicated and demanding the demining task can be, even for such an advanced robot as Stalker.

According to Russian media, the robot is being tested near one of the highways towards Avdiivka, where mines may have been located.