Investigations

Russia is ramping up Shahed drone production using European-made components.
Investigations

Investigation: How Russian drones exploit European technologies to strike Ukraine, and beyond

by Alisa Yurchenko

Editor's note: This story is part of a cross-border investigative project that involved eight newsrooms, initiated by De Tijd (Belgium) and coordinated by the Kyiv Independent and OCCRP. Other stories published within the project are linked at the bottom of this investigation. A tiny Austrian sensor designed for precise motion control made an impressive journey across the globe. Some time after being sold to a company in Hong Kong, it turned up in Ukraine inside a long-range military drone laun

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Japan breaks into Ukraine’s drone market for first time as Tokyo confronts regional threats

A Tokyo-listed drone firm is breaking with the trend of Japanese companies avoiding Ukraine's defense industry by partnering with interceptor drone producer Amazing Drones, the first Japanese company to invest in the sector. The investment — undisclosed in size — will fuel a major production scale-up at Kharkiv-based Amazing Drones, with Terra Drone using its decade-long experience to handle supply chains, marketing, and global expansion, the company said at a launch event in Kyiv on March 31.

These Russians fought for Ukraine. Then, they faced risk of deportation — to Russia

In September 2023, Russian national Igor Boichenko swam across a river and crossed a minefield to enter Ukraine from Russia. Boichenko was one of thousands of Russians who came to Ukraine that month. What was unique about him is that he didn't come to fight Ukrainians — but rather, to join their ranks. He signed a military contract and served as a sniper against his homeland. Then, he found himself locked up in a migration jail, under threat of being sent back, to the country he signed up to

Russian volunteers in Ukraine face legal limbo and the threat of deportation to Russia.

US lifts sanctions on 3 Russian-flagged cargo ships

Such actions are "not indicative of a broader shift in the U.S. Russia policy," a U.S. Treasury spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent, adding that OFAC regularly updates its sanctions list by adding or removing individuals and entities.

Trump's NATO doubts are a 'gift' for the Kremlin

Failing to strong-arm NATO member states into joining his country's war against Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump has once again questioned the need for the alliance's existence. "We would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don't have to be, do we?" Trump said at an investment forum in Miami last week. His chief diplomat, Marco Rubio, doubled down on March 30, saying Washington "will have to reexamine" its relationship with NATO countries after the war

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