A Russian air attack on Kyiv destroyed a factory owned by US drone maker Terminal Autonomy, a source close to the plant told The Guardian. The plant produced AQ-400 Scythe and AQ-100 Bayonet strike drones, which use AI-based targeting: if communication with the operator is lost or the drone is jammed, it continues flying and hits the target on its own.
No one was killed in the strike, the source said. The company did not respond to The Guardian's request for comment.
In its July 26 briefing, Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had hit a "drone assembly and storage site in the southwestern part of Kyiv" that produced up to 1,000 drones a month "with the involvement of specialists from a Ukrainian-American company." The ministry did not name the company.
According to The Guardian, this is the first known case of Russian forces deliberately striking a US defense company's facility on Ukrainian territory. "The Russians don't care who owns the plant. It's a target," said Anthony Vinci, a former senior US intelligence officer. He suggested the Russian military might later try to hit production of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems if the US allows them to be made in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed the issue with US President Donald Trump during a visit to Washington. Trump agreed to "give us licenses," Zelensky said. Later, the White House chief said he had not yet made a decision. "We want the war between Ukraine and Russia to end. My goal is not missiles. Our goal is peace," Trump said.