Latest news with #Iranian-made
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Syrian entrepreneur gunning to be Ukraine's drone king
Drone warfare has become central to Ukraine's defense against Russia, where cheap, nimble aircraft are being deployed to counter superior firepower. What began as modified hobbyist drones have evolved into a large industry which experts say could position Ukraine as a leading supplier of low-cost weapons for the drone age. Riding that wave is Khaled Alfaiomi, a Syrian-born cybersecurity expert and entrepreneur, operating under a pseudonym for safety reasons. He leads a Kyiv-based maker of long-range surveillance aircraft and short-range loitering munitions: Ukraine has agreed to buy up the company's full output during the war and for up to two years after the conflict ends, Alfaiomi told Semafor in an interview. Even as the war rages, Alfaiomi is focused on expansion. He said the company is building a €1 billion ($1.1 billion) factory in an undisclosed European country, citing security concerns. Unmanned aircraft are viewed in military and government circles with a mixture of awe and FOMO. At the Qatar Economic Forum last week, former CIA Director and retired US General David Petraeus called Ukraine's drone warfare progress 'breathtaking.' A week prior, US President Donald Trump lamented the disparity in cost between Iranian-made kamikaze aircraft — about $40,000 — and what a US contractor recently proposed: $41 million. The Iranian drones are 'very good, and fast and deadly,' Trump said. 'You hide behind a tree and it circles you with fire. You don't have a chance, and the tree comes down also.' Alfaiomi is building capacity to fill the demand for weapons that are both lethal and affordable. His company's main product is a fixed-wing surveillance aircraft with a 260-kilometer (160-mile) range and 4-hour flight time, capable of identifying and tracking targets, and guiding strikes. A kit of three drones and control systems sells to NATO customers for €350,000 — and to Ukraine for €250,000 — with the cameras alone costing €100,000. He said the total price was half the cost of comparable systems from other countries. The company also sells suicide, fixed-winged drones — in packs of 10 — for $20,000 to $65,000, depending on specifications. It developed a model with a 1,500-km range and around a 100-kg payload, which is an indication of how quickly the capabilities are advancing. Alfaiomi didn't plan to be in Ukraine. He said he left Syria after high school, studied in Germany and the US, and worked in the UAE and Ukraine. In 2013, as the Euromaidan protests erupted, he joined demonstrators calling for the ouster of Moscow's ally Viktor Yanukovych. 'I sat with them in the snow and cold. I'm a revolutionary — I'm used to it from Syria,' he said. Many of the protesters he met there ended up in government. He said he was granted Ukrainian citizenship a few months after Yanukovych was deposed. A cybersecurity firm he ran landed contracts with embassies and government agencies. He also invested in EV charging infrastructure, benefiting from Ukraine's decision to waive import taxes on electric vehicles. The war prompted a pivot. Ukraine's government provided strong incentives to spur domestic production of defense equipment: guaranteed margins, purchase commitments, streamlined customs approvals, and military exemptions for factory workers. Alfaiomi said his company now employs 550 people and produces four reconnaissance aircraft a day — and many more of the suicide drones — with over 700 units in service. He is cautious about publicity. He declined to be photographed during our meeting in Abu Dhabi and was vague about his time in the US, worried it could reveal his real identity. In Ukraine, he wears a mask, wary of Russian targeting. (An industry event was hit by an airstrike in 2023). He declined to name the company he leads, but provided video proof of the production facility and documents related to the drone's specs. The drone revolution is making warfare cheaper, faster, and more precise, flattening the battlefield. There's no shortage of footage online showing soldiers attempting, in vain, to escape suicide drones. They are legitimate targets — there's no moral argument against killing combatants during war — but the capabilities raise concerns that human restraint in conflict is eroding: Our impulse for mercy, exhaustion, or compromise are what often bring wars to a halt. In a future shaped by AI-driven autonomous weapons, conflicts can become perpetual. The advantage will lie for a period with those who master the technology, but as it proliferates, it could increase instability. Ukraine is currently ahead, thanks to wartime urgency, and US and European support. But this edge will likely be short-lived. Most of the tech isn't proprietary. Others will catch up. As Semafor columnist Omar Al-Ubaydli argues, proliferation of the technology may create mutual deterrence, and hence more stability. He writes that the best defense against swarms of unmanned systems is a credible offensive deterrent. Air defenses alone won't stop precision attacks: 'Deterrence by capability is the rational option,' he writes. First-person view drones are driving a military revolution, argues US Army Officer Antonio Salinas in a War on the Rocks essay. 'It feels as if there are a thousand snipers in the sky.' Ukraine's use of drones has had a multiplier effect on its combat power, and is changing the nature of warfare, The New York Times' C.J. Chivers reports from the frontlines.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Russia
Credit: Telegram Ukraine launched a major drone attack on Russia overnight, hitting a key microelectronics plant and forcing multiple Moscow airports to close. Kyiv struck the Mikron factory in Zelenograd, which produces microelectronics and semiconductors used to develop missile, air defence and radar systems. Russia said thirteen regions were targeted, including Moscow, Bryansk, Belgorod, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver and Tula. The Kremlin's defence ministry said it shot down 296 drones, including 40 heading for the capital, affecting air travel for hours. It said: 'During the last night... anti-aircraft defence systems destroyed and intercepted 296 Ukrainian aerial drones.' There were no immediate reports of any casualties. Russia's federal air transport agency said flights were temporarily suspended at Moscow's Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo airports. Credit: Telegram/exilenova_plus Ukraine is yet to comment. If Russia's numbers are accurate, the strikes would represent one of the largest drone attacks of the war so far by Kyiv, which has stepped up aerial assaults on Russia in recent weeks. In an interview published on Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, warned that Vladimir Putin was preparing to launch 1,000 drones at Ukraine in a single attack. Mr Zelensky claimed that Russia had the capacity to launch around 350 Iranian-made Shahed drones every day, and that it wanted to boost this figure to 500. He told reporters: 'I don't take the figure of 1,000 drones a day as constant, but I understand they could stockpile and launch a massive attack.' The Ukrainian president said Kyiv was working on new technology to counter the increasing drone threat from Russia, which launched 900 drones in the three days up to Monday. 'We're already using them. The question now is how fast we can scale,' Mr Zelensky added, emphasising the importance of international financial support, especially from Germany. Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky continued to warn that Russia was amassing 'more than 50,000 troops' on the front line around the north-eastern Sumy border region. Russian forces captured four villages in Sumy after Putin ordered his troops to carve out a buffer zone along the border. 'Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front,' Mr Zelensky told reporters, adding: 'To push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region.' Credit: Telegram/exilenova_plus The Ukrainian president later called for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Putin after the Russian leader failed to show up at peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month. 'If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don't mind. I am ready for any format,' Mr Zelensky said in comments published this morning. The Ukrainian president also said he would 'very much like' Mr Trump to hit Russia's banking and energy sectors with sanctions in response to a wave of aerial attacks and Moscow's refusal to agree to a ceasefire. Mr Trump continued to criticise Putin on Tuesday, warning that he was playing with fire and cautioned that 'really bad' things would have happened already to Russia if it were not for Mr Trump himself. Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official and Russia's former president, dismissed Mr Trump's criticism and threatened a third world war. He wrote in English on X: 'Regarding Trump's words about Putin 'playing with fire' and 'really bad things' happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!' Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump's envoy, quoted Medvedev's post and said it was reckless. Gen Kellogg said on X: 'Stoking fears of WW III is an unfortunate, reckless comment... and unfitting of a world power. 'President Trump @POTUS is working to stop this war and end the killing. We await receipt of RU Memorandum (Term Sheet) that you promised a week ago. Cease fire now.' Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said Moscow would announce the next round of direct talks with Ukraine soon.
Egypt Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Russia is unleashing aerial terror against Ukrainian civilians to make it seem like it is winning, experts say
CNN — Third-grader Stanislav Martynyuk looks extremely proud in his school photograph. Hands folded on his desk; his eyes framed with spectacles that make him look like a serious – and adorable – 8-year-old scholar. It was this image of Stanislav – alongside similar snaps of his sister Tamara, 12, and brother Roman, 17 – that was put on display at a makeshift memorial at their school in Korostyshiv and shared on social media after the three siblings died when a Russian strike hit their home over the weekend. The trio was among at least 14 civilians killed over the weekend in the latest wave of Moscow's escalating aerial assaults against Ukrainian cities. Analysts say the brutal campaign is part of a deliberate strategy by Russia that is designed to create an impression that it has the upper hand in the conflict, undermine Ukraine's morale and put more pressure on Kyiv's Western allies. Russia first began intensifying airborne attacks against Ukraine last fall, after it successfully scaled up domestic production of its own version of the Iranian-made Shahed drones, its most frequently used drone. But the frequency and scale of these strikes increased again in January, after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Five of Russia's biggest drone attacks were all launched since then. Four of the five came over the past 10 days, according to a tally compiled by CNN. Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine one of his priorities – having said during the election campaign that he would bring the conflict to an end within 24 hours of taking office. Photos shared by the Gustav Olizar Lyceum in Korostyshiv show Stanislav, Tamara and Roman Martynyuk, three siblings killed by a Russian strike. Gustav Olizar Lyceum in Korostyshiv But despite the promises, Trump seems to have grown increasingly impatient with Moscow and Kyiv. He has been flip-flopping between threatening to punish Russia with more sanctions if it doesn't sign up to a ceasefire proposal and suggesting he could walk away from the issue altogether. Over the weekend, after Russia launched its biggest aerial assault against Ukraine since the start of the war, Trump said on social media that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!' before telling reporters that he was 'not happy with what Putin is doing.' But Trump also slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for suggesting that 'America's silence' encourages Putin to continue his onslaught. He said Zelensky does his country disservice because 'everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop.' Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that should Ukraine 'misbehave' in fighting against Russia with drones, it will 'get hurt.' No matter if peace negotiations are underway, or 'if President Trump says something or not, Russia will ensure its security,' Peskov said. The only way to win Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor, said that Russia's brutal aerial campaign is part of the strategy to create the illusion that it is winning the war, in an 'effort to degrade Ukrainian morale and convince the West that a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable and that supporting Ukraine is futile.' Putin knows that the only way Russia could win the war in Ukraine any time soon is if Ukraine's Western allies, the United States chief among them, stop supporting Kyiv in its war efforts. Ukraine's European allies have seen an increase in instances of sabotage, cyber incidents and arson attacks linked to Russia, an attempt by Moscow to put more pressure on Kyiv-friendly governments by trying to show their voters that supporting Kyiv comes with a cost. At the same time, Putin is successfully stalling the ceasefire talks proposed by Trump – while trying to appear cooperative and shift the blame on Kyiv. Instead of refusing Trump's ceasefire proposal straight away, the Russian president has been introducing new demands and blaming Kyiv for not accepting them. When given an ultimatum, Putin ignored it and called for direct talks between Ukraine and Russia – something Trump immediately endorsed, blindsiding Ukraine's other Western allies. Trump has repeatedly indicated he does not want US military assistance to Kyiv to continue as it was. Earlier this year, the US briefly suspended shipments of aid to Ukraine over Trump's disagreement with Zelensky. While the aid has been reinstated, the incident gave a clear indication to Putin that Trump is willing to abandon Ukraine. Trump has also made it clear he believed Ukraine is on the backfoot. He even told Zelensky he had 'no cards' during the contentious Oval Office meeting in February, trying to pressure the Ukrainian leader into negotiations. But while Russia does have air superiority over Ukraine, which allows Moscow to terrorize the Ukrainian population on daily basis, it is far from 'winning' the war. Leading Russia analyst Mark Galeotti previously told CNN that the situation on the ground in Ukraine is better described as both sides losing. 'The thing though is that the Ukrainians are losing faster,' he said. When Russia launched its full-scale unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin expected to take over the country within a few days. That has not happened because Ukraine mounted a surprisingly strong defense. And as Western support for Kyiv increased, Ukraine was able to push back and reclaim large swaths of territory that were seized by Russia during the initial invasion. The frontline in Ukraine has not moved in a significant way since Ukrainian forces liberated the southern city of Kherson in November 2023. Russia has advanced in some areas along the frontline, but it has not been able to break through or take over a major city. An explosion lights up the sky over Kyiv during a Russian drone strike on Saturday. Gleb Garanich/Reuters Yet the consequences of the Russian strikes have been horrifying. At least 209 civilians were killed across Ukraine last month, the deadliest month since September 2024, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. It was a particularly deadly month for Ukrainian children – the worst since June 2022. On top of 19 who were killed, 78 were injured. May has been equally terrifying for Ukrainian civilians. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram that the weekend's attacks showed once again that Russia's goal is 'fear and death.' Klymenko said the parents of the three slain Martynyuk children were wounded in the strike, their mother seriously. Roman, the oldest child, was just days away from graduating, the school where all three attended said in a statement. Tamara's teacher, Oleh Hodovaniuk, told CNN Monday was a very difficult day for the school. Signs of the war were all around them. The school windows have been blown out by the pressure wave from the explosions. A memorial point at the school's entrance was flooded with flowers and plush toys. Hodovaniuk said the news shocked the community to its core and some children were so distraught they were unable to come to school and take part in the memorial. 'No one coordinated this, but most of the school came wearing black,' he said. 'Tamara was very well behaved and modest, like all the children in her family.'
Saudi Gazette
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Russia is unleashing aerial terror against Ukrainian civilians to make it seem like it is winning, experts say
KYIV — Third-grader Stanislav Martynyuk looks extremely proud in his school photograph. Hands folded on his desk; his eyes framed with spectacles that make him look like a serious – and adorable – 8-year-old scholar. It was this image of Stanislav – alongside similar snaps of his sister Tamara, 12, and brother Roman, 17 – that was put on display at a makeshift memorial at their school in Korostyshiv and shared on social media after the three siblings died when a Russian strike hit their home over the weekend. The trio was among at least 14 civilians killed over the weekend in the latest wave of Moscow's escalating aerial assaults against Ukrainian cities. Analysts say the brutal campaign is part of a deliberate strategy by Russia that is designed to create an impression that it has the upper hand in the conflict, undermine Ukraine's morale and put more pressure on Kyiv's Western allies. Russia first began intensifying airborne attacks against Ukraine last fall, after it successfully scaled up domestic production of its own version of the Iranian-made Shahed drones, its most frequently used drone. But the frequency and scale of these strikes increased again in January, after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Five of Russia's biggest drone attacks were all launched since then. Four of the five came over the past 10 days, according to a tally compiled by CNN. Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine one of his priorities – having said during the election campaign that he would bring the conflict to an end within 24 hours of taking office. But despite the promises, Trump seems to have grown increasingly impatient with Moscow and Kyiv. He has been flip-flopping between threatening to punish Russia with more sanctions if it doesn't sign up to a ceasefire proposal and suggesting he could walk away from the issue altogether. Over the weekend, after Russia launched its biggest aerial assault against Ukraine since the start of the war, Trump said on social media that Putin 'has gone absolutely CRAZY!' before telling reporters that he was 'not happy with what Putin is doing.' But Trump also slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for suggesting that 'America's silence' encourages Putin to continue his onslaught. He said Zelensky does his country a disservice because 'everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop.' Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor, said that Russia's brutal aerial campaign is part of the strategy to create the illusion that it is winning the war, in an 'effort to degrade Ukrainian morale and convince the West that a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable and that supporting Ukraine is futile.' Putin knows that the only way Russia could win the war in Ukraine any time soon is if Ukraine's Western allies, the United States chief among them, stop supporting Kyiv in its war efforts. Ukraine's European allies have seen an increase in instances of sabotage, cyber incidents and arson attacks linked to Russia, an attempt by Moscow to put more pressure on Kyiv-friendly governments by trying to show their voters that supporting Kyiv comes with a cost. At the same time, Putin is successfully stalling the ceasefire talks proposed by Trump – while trying to appear cooperative and shift the blame on Kyiv. Instead of refusing Trump's ceasefire proposal straight away, the Russian president has been introducing new demands and blaming Kyiv for not accepting them. When given an ultimatum, Putin ignored it and called for direct talks between Ukraine and Russia – something Trump immediately endorsed, blindsiding Ukraine's other Western allies. Trump has repeatedly indicated he does not want US military assistance to Kyiv to continue as it was. Earlier this year, the US briefly suspended shipments of aid to Ukraine over Trump's disagreement with Zelensky. While the aid has been reinstated, the incident gave a clear indication to Putin that Trump is willing to abandon Ukraine. Trump has also made it clear he believed Ukraine is on the backfoot. He even told Zelensky he had 'no cards' during the contentious Oval Office meeting in February, trying to pressure the Ukrainian leader into negotiations. But while Russia does have air superiority over Ukraine, which allows Moscow to terrorize the Ukrainian population on daily basis, it is far from 'winning' the war. Leading Russia analyst Mark Galeotti previously told CNN that the situation on the ground in Ukraine is better described as both sides losing. 'The thing though is that the Ukrainians are losing faster,' he said. When Russia launched its full-scale unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Kremlin expected to take over the country within a few days. That has not happened because Ukraine mounted a surprisingly strong defense. And as Western support for Kyiv increased, Ukraine was able to push back and reclaim large swaths of territory that were seized by Russia during the initial invasion. The frontline in Ukraine has not moved in a significant way since Ukrainian forces liberated the southern city of Kherson in November 2023. Russia has advanced in some areas along the frontline, but it has not been able to break through or take over a major city. Yet the consequences of the Russian strikes have been horrifying. At least 209 civilians were killed across Ukraine last month, the deadliest month since September 2024, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. It was a particularly deadly month for Ukrainian children – the worst since June 2022. On top of 19 who were killed, 78 were injured. May has been equally terrifying for Ukrainian civilians. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram that the weekend's attacks showed once again that Russia's goal is 'fear and death.' Klymenko said the parents of the three slain Martynyuk children were wounded in the strike, their mother seriously. Roman, the oldest child, was just days away from graduating, the school where all three attended said in a statement. Tamara's teacher, Oleh Hodovaniuk, told CNN Monday was a very difficult day for the school. Signs of the war were all around them. The school windows have been blown out by the pressure wave from the explosions. A memorial point at the school's entrance was flooded with flowers and plush toys. Hodovaniuk said the news shocked the community to its core and some children were so distraught they were unable to come to school and take part in the memorial. 'No one coordinated this, but most of the school came wearing black,' he said. 'Tamara was very well behaved and modest, like all the children in her family.' — CNN
Los Angeles Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Ukraine says Russia launched its biggest drone attack yet, part of an escalating campaign
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia launched its biggest drone attack against Ukraine overnight, a Ukrainian official said Monday, part of an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the 3-year-old war. On the third straight night of significant aerial bombardments, President Trump lashed out at Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying he had gone 'crazy' by stepping up attacks on Ukraine. The expansion of Russia's air campaign appeared to be another setback in U.S.-led peace efforts, as Putin looks determined to capture more Ukrainian territory and inflict more damage. It comes after Kyiv accepted an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in March that was proposed by the U.S. but that Moscow effectively rejected. This month alone, Russia has broken its record for aerial bombardments of Ukraine three times. Russia is also still pushing along the roughly 620-mile front line, where it has made slow and costly progress, and is assembling its forces for a summer offensive, analysts say. 'Only a sense of complete impunity can allow Russia to carry out such attacks and continually escalate their scale,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Monday. 'There is no significant military logic to this, but there is considerable political meaning.' The Russian bombardment Sunday night included 355 drones, said Yuriy Ihnat, head of the Ukrainian air force's communications department, calling it the biggest of the war. The previous night, Russia fired 298 drones and 69 missiles in what Ukrainian officials said was the largest combined aerial assault of the conflict. From Friday to Sunday, Russia launched around 900 drones at Ukraine, officials said. Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said Monday that its forces shot down 103 Ukrainian drones overnight that were flying over southern and western Russia, including near Moscow. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said 32 flights scheduled to land at three Moscow airports Sunday and Monday had to divert amid Ukrainian drone attacks. The numbers from Ukraine and Russia could not be independently verified. Soon after Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion, the conflict became a testing ground for increasingly sophisticated drone warfare. Russia has received Iranian-made Shahed drones since 2022 and is now believed to be manufacturing its own version. Ukraine, as well as receiving smaller battlefield drones from its allies to help it compensate for a troop shortage, has developed its own long-range drones for strikes deep inside Russia. On Monday, the European Union's top diplomat, foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, described Russia's latest attacks as 'totally appalling' and said the bloc intended to impose more sanctions on Moscow. Trump has threatened massive sanctions too, but so far hasn't taken action. But he made it clear Sunday night that he is losing patience with Putin. 'I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!' Trump wrote in a social media post. Trump said Putin is 'needlessly killing a lot of people,' pointing out that 'missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever.' The president also expressed frustration with Zelensky, saying that he is 'doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does.' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin makes decisions that are necessary to ensure Russia's security and that the attacks were Moscow's response to deep strikes by Ukraine. He said negotiations are at 'a decisive moment that is linked to emotional overloading for everyone and emotional reactions.' Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds more prisoners Sunday in the third and last part of a major exchange. All told, each side released more than 1,000 prisoners — soldiers and civilians — in the biggest swap of the war. Novikov and Yurchuk write for the Associated Press. Associated Press writer Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.
