Russian Shahed/Geran drones with online control are already reaching some of Ukraine’s most heavily defended facilities, including the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine. China remains a key enabler of these attacks, as both the MESH modems used for online control and the jet engines powering some of these drones are of Chinese origin.
While I usually start my newsletter with the UAV section, this time I decided to begin with listing several opportunities to work with promising Ukrainian companies.
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Work with Ukraine
Ukrainian-made AI platform Mantis Analytics combines AI-assisted OSINT collection with regional analysts’ and local-source knowledge to produce assessments of contested information environments. It has applied its approach in environments ranging from Ukraine and the Baltic states to Haiti, Syria, and Southeast Asia. The company is open to international research collaborations and strategic partnerships focused on advancing intelligence capabilities.
AIDronesUA is a Ukrainian defence-tech company developing UGVs for high-risk missions. Its flagship platform, MAUL, is engineered for casualty evacuation, logistics, and frontline support. The company is open to investment, joint ventures and technology integration partnerships, including AI and other systems that can strengthen the platform’s capabilities. It is particularly interested in cooperation within the Build with Ukraine framework, with a focus on the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain.
Ukraine provides international researchers and manufacturers access to Russian trophy equipment and its analysis. More than 430 companies have already applied to Ukraine’s TrophyLab database. The portal provides users with data collected by the GUR, SBU, and specialized institutions to support the development of countermeasures.
Aerial Drones
On September 4, a jet-powered Shahed drone directly targeted a building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). According to the SBU, the drone was deliberately directed at the office of the head of SBU. He was not injured. The drone was controlled and guided online through a MESH radio relay with internet access, which a Russian agent activated nearby (up to 5 km distance) for a short period during the attack.