Zigzagging between robots, weapons and computers in his garage workshop, Ukrainian engineer Eduard Trotsenko was bubbling with excitement as he showed off his latest prototypes and dreamed of sci-fi-inspired futuristic ideas. Top of his ideas list are “mechanical birds” that can land on high-voltage power lines and recharge themselves, and “robot dogs” that can be sent into battle.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “In order to save human lives, to save soldiers, there must be robots,” Trotsenko told AFP. Autonomous weapons have come to dominate the war with Russia. Aerial drones are used on the front lines for reconnaissance and to drop explosives, while down below ground robots support logistics operations. Ukraine has built a sprawling drone industry from scratch, hailed by President Volodymyr Zelensky as the best in the world. But the dismissal last month of popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov -- one of the most ardent backers of drones -- raised some concerns over the future of the sector. “I don’t understand why they sacked Fedorov,” Trotsenko, the founder and CEO of robot manufacturer Temerland, said. Despite his removal, industry players and military personnel AFP spoke to said there was no going back now. “The young people there won’t let it go. There’ll definitely be drones,” Trotsenko said. - Into the kill zone - When Russia invaded, 55-year-old Trotsenko -- who was born in Soviet Kazakhstan -- switched from making car charging stations to military robots.