KI short logo

Russia-Ukraine War

soldier holds a drone controller near a GARA UAV in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Oct. 16, 2026.
War

Export hurdles and visa waits for Ukrainian companies force Pentagon to slow its drone contest

by Leo Greenberg

One morning in June, the head of export at Ukrainian drone company Stellarion found himself unexpectedly in need of a U-Haul outside the Detroit Metro Airport in Michigan. Stellarion was set to test its drones in front of American soldiers at a competition organized by the Pentagon at Camp Grayling, a military base three hours away. But while many of its 48 invited competitors were American companies that had had weeks to modify, prepare, and fit warheads onto their drones, Stellarion was facin

More from War

Load More

NewsLetters

News Feed

Reporter's notebook: Visiting a POW camp is the best possible antidote to sympathy for Russian soldiers

Once our eyes adjusted to the aggressive glare of the freshly painted white walls around the yard, we began to make out figures, dozens of them dressed in navy blue, clinging to the inner walls of this surreal space. It was a scorching June day in western Ukraine, and we had just been released, like kids in a petting zoo, into a courtyard full of prisoners of war from the Russian military. Who we decided to walk up to and talk to, and what we wanted to talk about, was up to us. Whether these

Europe must finally hold Russia accountable for hybrid attacks

Europe has already learned to better recognize hybrid threats, which is definitely a good thing, but recognition alone is not enough and doesn't serve as sufficient deterrence. European officials have grown accustomed to scenarios where a cyberattack disrupts public services and critical infrastructure, drones appear over sensitive sites, and a flood of misinformation on social media exploits societal uncertainty. European governments then investigate, share information, release statements, an

A soldier patrols outside the NATO summit venue in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24, 2025.

About War

The Kyiv Independent's coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, after eight years of aggression against Ukraine that began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and fighting in Donbas. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties and displaced millions of Ukrainians. NATO and Western allies have provided military aid to Ukraine while the conflict continues across fronts in Ukraine’s south and east.

Read more

Most Popular

Editors' Picks

News Feed