Ukraine using AI drones to strike vital convoys supplying Russian troops

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Ukraine using AI drones to strike vital convoys supplying Russian troops11 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleThomas Copeland and Paul BrownBBC Verify Drone video shows Ukraine strikes on Russian supply trucksThe Ukrainian military is stepping up its campaign to destroy vehicles supplying Russian forces along crucial roads in occupied Ukraine using new AI drone technology, experts say. Verify has confirmed footage of at least 14 incidents published in the past week of vehicles carrying food, fuel and ammunition being targeted along critical routes connecting Russia to Crimea and other occupied territories in southern Ukraine. Ukraine is starting to regain more ground than it is losing for the first time since 2023, analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) indicates.

After more than four years of war and increased Russian occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine, neither side has gained any significant ground in recent months. Experts say recent drone technology advancements, including the AI-enabled Hornet system, have allowed Ukraine to attack Russian targets travelling to the front lines at greater distances and with increased accuracy. Ukraine's defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said on Wednesday its "logistics lockdown" strategy aims to "increase pressure on the Russian military in the rear and deny the enemy the ability to conduct sustained offensive operations".

The Details

Footage analysed by Verify and online by GeoConfirmed open source analysts shows burned-out shells of container lorries and other military vehicles at multiple locations along a key route through southern Ukraine. At least 10 incidents were recorded between Russia's border and the occupied city of Mariupol, with one strike recorded south-west of the city of Melitopol. The critical route is used by the Russian military to supply their forces on the front line and in Crimea.

Clément Molin, an analyst at think tank Atum Mundi, told Verify he had confirmed the destruction of 150 vehicles more than 20km (12 miles) from the front line, although he said this likely accounted for about half of all incidents. The strikes mean Russia has been forced to shorten convoys on supply routes as a "quick coping mechanism to reduce potential damage", Cristian Vlas at conflict monitoring group Acled told Verify. He suggested Ukraine's main objective was not only to strike the assets "important to Russia's image of grand power", but to disrupt key logistical convoys, command posts, and communication towers.

These "feed, fuel, and inform Russian units at the front line and form the basis for capacity to fight in the battlefield and launch long-range drone and missile strikes from occupied territories". Robert Tollast, land warfare expert at the Royal United Service Institute, told Verify that some brigades were estimated to need up to 1,000 tonnes of fuel, food, ammunition and other key supplies every day.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.