Ultimately, the Russians with precision missiles know very well what they are doing, and with a surgical strike, they destroyed the US unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) manufacturing plant Terminal Autonomy in Kyiv. They hit it for the first time and wiped it out. Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Tusk warns that the next 100 days – 3 months – will be decisive for the outcome of the war in Ukraine.
Russians destroy US Terminal Autonomy drone factory in Kyiv
Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on a drone production plant in Kyiv. The Guardian newspaper reported that the facility belonged to Terminal Autonomy, an American company registered in Delaware. The strike on the Terminal Autonomy plant appears to mark the first time during the conflict that Russia has targeted a US defense firm, according to The Guardian.
The US Terminal Autonomy factory
A source close to the company stated that the factory produces high-precision UAVs for deep strikes equipped with guidance systems resistant to Russian electronic warfare. One of the sources for the report also noted that no one was killed in the attack on the factory. Terminal Autonomy is the term used to describe the terminal phase of a kamikaze drone attack. At this stage, Artificial Intelligence takes control of the drone as enemy defenses begin jamming radio waves and cellular communications. The Terminal Autonomy website states: "We build AI-guided loitering munitions and precision strike weapons that are already in active service against enemy targets on the front lines." The Russian Ministry of Defense announced a strike on a production facility staffed by "specialists from a Ukrainian-American company."
Producing 1,000 drones monthly
It was clarified that the targeted factory was located in the southwestern part of Kyiv. "It produces up to 1,000 drones of various types monthly, including the AQ-400 Scythe attack drone, the AQ-100 Bayonet, and the RQ-100 Scout reconnaissance drone systems." The US has previously stated that any foreign factories in Ukraine would become targets for Russian attacks.
For the Russians, it is irrelevant who owns the company
Former senior US intelligence official Anthony Vinci told The Guardian that for the Russian side, it makes no difference who owns a company, as long as it manufactures weapons that strike deep inside Russia: "It is still a target. They do not care if it is American or someone else's." "I think that if Patriot missiles or any other American system were being produced in Ukraine, the Russians would have attacked that military manufacturing facility," Anthony Vinci emphasized. Earlier, Jennifer Kavanagh, Director of Military Analysis at the Defense Priorities think tank, expressed the view that obtaining a license to produce Patriot missiles would not help Kyiv reverse the course of the current conflict. "This is a long-term project that will have no impact on the current conflict and will not meet Ukraine's short-term needs," the expert evaluated regarding the proposal.
"The next 100 days" will determine the conflict in Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Tusk stated that the next 100 days could be decisive for the conflict in Ukraine. "The next 100 days will be decisive. (...) We will do everything possible on issues related to the war to ensure that Ukraine receives all necessary assistance," Tusk stated. The First Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs noted that statements featuring round numbers like "100 days" are often made for short-term political effect. She believes that the Polish Prime Minister himself likely does not fully understand what he means. The MP implied that this statement could be part of an information warfare strategy.
The missile incident... Russia denies claims
The NATO Secretary General and the German Chancellor, for their part, accused Russia over the missile crash in Poland, but without providing any evidence. German Chancellor Merz believes that the violation of Polish airspace allegedly demonstrates Moscow's readiness to escalate the conflict in Ukraine. Russia denied the accusations made by Poland. This is not the first time Poland has leveled unsubstantiated claims against Russia, as it is important for the country's leadership to impress upon its citizens the threat emanating from Moscow. Western leaders need tension to justify and explain to the public why they must allocate 5% of their GDP to NATO defense spending targets. They must somehow prove that something is falling on them. And we already have cases where Ukrainian debris was presented as ours. Later they admitted it was Ukrainian, but the public had already read about Russian missile debris, and no one reads the news a second time. Poland always rushes to blame Russia without awaiting the investigation results. Poland needs this to convince its taxpayers of the necessity to pay their contributions to NATO.
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