Moscow is hunting for missile and drone components. According to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Belarus is rapidly expanding its military production to compensate for a shortage of components in Russia’s defense industry.

“Moscow is looking for alternative sources of components, particularly for drones and missile systems, amid Western sanctions and logistical barriers. The Belarusian government is accelerating the launch of facilities tied to UAVs, dual-use electronics, and targeting systems,” the agency reports.

Civilian projects frozen, military ones prioritized

Belarus’s innovation strategy previously focused on civilian sectors, such as agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals, and food production. Now, military development is the priority.

“Most army-related facilities are expected to be constructed and operational within one to one and a half years,” the Ukrainian Intelligence notes.

For example, a plant producing composite drone components was built based on the Multipurpose UAV Technology Center. The project, frozen in 2020, was revived after the full-scale war began. By late 2024, the factory was built and equipped, and production began in February 2025.

Sights, auto parts, and microchips for Kh-101 missiles

The Zenit-BelOMO plant is launching production of targeting systems and auto components for the CIS market. Production lines are set to open in August, with the plant expected to reach full capacity by year’s end.

Meanwhile, the Integral plant is expanding its production of dual-use microchips, which can be employed in guidance systems for Russia’s Kh-101 cruise missiles.

“A new workshop is expected to be operational in December, and full-scale production is planned for 2026,” the Ukrainian Intelligence adds.

The US plans to invest in the production of Ukrainian drones. New Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko has announced that Ukraine intends to sign a drone agreement with American partners, Reuters reports.

“We plan to sign a ‘drone deal’ with the United States. We are discussing investments in the expansion of production of Ukrainian drones by the US,” says Svyrydenko.

The official has clarified that the deal involves the purchase of a large batch of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.

Svyrydenko added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump made the political decision on the agreement earlier, and officials are now discussing its details.

Earlier, Euromaidan Press reported that both leaders were considering what’s being called a “mega deal.” Under the proposed agreement, Kyiv would sell its combat-hardened drone systems to Washington. In return, it would sell Ukraine a significant array of American weapons.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is ready to share its knowledge gained from over three years of fighting against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov says Russia has created a unit called “Rubikon” to hunt Ukrainian drone operators. However, due to increased autonomy powered by artificial intelligence, Ukrainian operators can gradually be removed from the front lines, RBC reports.

He explains that the current task is to ensure maximum remote control of drones so that operators can manage them from any city in the country. The next step is to implement full drone autonomy.

Fedorov also notes that full drone autonomy requires significant development and investment, which may take years. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence technologies are already actively used in the military sphere for decoding images, target guidance, and operating FPV drones.

Ukraine is even launching a special grant program to develop military technologies based on artificial intelligence, which, according to the minister, will become “the future battlefield.”

Earlier, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that hoping for a return to the 1991 borders without a technological leap is pointless. He added that Kyiv could expect reaching victory only in the case of waging a high-tech war of survival, the one that uses minimal human resources and minimal economic means to achieve maximum effect.

Satellite imagery has confirmed a successful Ukrainian strike on the Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant in Russia’s Moscow Oblast. The facility one of the key objects producing thermobaric munitions and explosive components for Shahed kamikaze drones.

The strike occurred on 7 July. Local residents reported loud explosions and a fire at the site. Ukraine’s General Staff later confirmed that units from the Drone Systems Forces, in coordination with other elements of the Defense Forces, carried out the attack.

According to the General Staff, the plant had been manufacturing not only flares, powder charges, thermal decoys, and gas generators, but also the thermobaric warheads used in drone strikes on Ukrainian cities.

The CyberBorosno project has analyzed satellite images and concluded that one of the plant’s production buildings, likely used for assembling explosive munitions, was hit.

The plant underwent modernization in 2017, expanding its capacity to produce thermobaric weapons for Russian security forces, including the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

On the same day, Russian air defense reportedly downed drones not only in Moscow Oblast, but also over many other oblasts. According to their data, 20 drones flew over Belgorod Oblast, 14 over Kursk, and nine over Lipetsk.

Eight were reported over both Bryansk and Voronezh oblasts, and seven over the Black Sea. Three drones each appeared over Novgorod, Tver, Tambov, and Leningrad oblasts. Two more were intercepted over Oryol Oblast, and one each over Vladimir Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, and occupied Crimea.

European firms stole drone secrets from a top Ukrainian manufacturer while falsely claiming their own UAVs were tested in combat, according to Skyeton CEO Roman Knyazhenko. He did not name the specific European companies allegedly involved. Skyeton’s flagship Raybird drone has flown over 350,000 combat hours, The Telegraph says. 

European drone makers accused of copying, then vanishing

In an interview with The Telegraph, Knyazhenko said some European manufacturers approached Skyeton under the pretense of cooperation. However, then they used the meetings to extract technical details and even plagiarized phrases from company materials.

“Sometimes I open presentations of other aircraft from Europe, and I see literally my own words, without any change,” he told the outlet.

He said firms conducted only a few drone flights far from the front line — such as in Lviv in western Ukraine — and still claimed their systems were “combat tested.” These misleading claims allowed them to secure government contracts worth billions, diverting funds from proven Ukrainian systems.

“They’re investing in technology that’s actually fake. In the end, you will have nothing,” Knyazhenko said, warning that the deception not only wastes money but also harms Ukraine’s war effort.

Skyeton says Raybird drones built under battlefield pressure

Skyeton, formerly focused on ultralight aircraft, now works directly with the Ukrainian army. CEO Roman Knyazhenko said roughly half the drone’s components have been replaced in recent years to enhance radar evasion and endurance. The system can reportedly fly 2,500 kilometers and stay airborne for up to 28 hours with various payloads. He added that pressure on engineers is extreme, with repairs often needed overnight to avoid leaving brigades without support.

“In peacetime, you would say a couple of weeks or a month. But right now, you have one night,” Knyazhenko said. “Because if you do not do it in one night, tomorrow the enemy will try and approach us and we will not have aircraft in the air, so we will have casualties.”

Poor foreign parts and legal limbo slow Ukrainian production

Skyeton says it had to start building more parts itself after receiving faulty imports. Knyazhenko cited one shipment of gimbal cameras where half didn’t work. Test logs showed they failed before leaving the factory, he said. The supplier denied responsibility. Legal action, Knyazhenko added, would take years — while frontline units went without equipment.

“Every day of delay will cost us millions,” Knyazhenko said, noting Skyeton’s strict government contracts and the constant demand from Ukrainian brigades.

Rapid evolution defines Ukraine’s drone edge

Skyeton says it constantly refines its drones for real combat conditions. Engineers, it claims, adjusted launch systems and designed UAVs that can take off from puddles within minutes. Knyazhenko said key technologies may become obsolete in two weeks.

“Three years here feels like 20 years in peace time,” he said.

He warned that visiting a Ukrainian factory doesn’t mean firms can replicate the work. “It’s the same story as building a BMW from scratch. It takes years,” he said.

In Foreign Affairs, former Biden officials Jon Finer and David Shimer said most countries — including the US — now lag behind Ukraine in drone warfare. Knyazhenko added that instead of rebuilding systems like the Raybird, Western countries should simply fund Ukrainian production abroad.