International

Ukraine’s long-range drones using Western tech to hit Russia

Published

2 years ago

August 29, 2024

Ukraine’s long-range drones using Western tech to hit Russia

Western technology and finance are helping Ukraine carry out hundreds of long-range strikes inside Russia.

That is despite Nato allies still refusing to give Ukraine permission to use Western-supplied munitions to do so – mostly because of fears of escalation.

Ukraine has been stepping up its long-range strikes inside Russia over the past few months, launching scores of drones simultaneously at strategic targets several times a week.

The targets include air force bases, oil and ammunition depots and command centres.

Ukrainian firms are now producing hundreds of armed one-way attack drones a month, at a fraction of the cost it takes to produce a similar drone in the West.

One company told the BBC it was already creating a disproportionate impact on Russia’s war economy at a relatively small expense.

The BBC has been briefed by a number of those involved in these missions. They include one of Ukraine’s largest one-way attack drone manufacturers, as well as a big data company which has helped develop software for Ukraine to carry out these strikes.

Francisco Serra-Martins says the strategy is already creating huge dilemmas for Moscow. He believes that with extra investment, it will turn the tide of the war in Ukraine’s favour.

Eighteen months ago, the company he co-founded, Terminal Autonomy, didn’t even exist. It is now producing more than a hundred AQ400 Scythe long-range drones a month, with a range of 750km (465 miles). The company also makes hundreds of shorter range AQ100 Bayonet drones a month, which can fly a few hundred kilometres.

The drones are made of wood and are being assembled in former furniture factories in Ukraine.

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Mr Serra-Martins, a former Australian Army Royal Engineer, set up the company with his Ukrainian co-founder, backed by US finance. It is one of at least three companies now producing drones in Ukraine at scale.

The AQ 400 Scythe drone is made of wood and has a range of 750km

He describes his drones as “basically flying furniture – we assemble it like Ikea”.

It takes about an hour to build the fuselage and half that time to put the brains inside it – the electronics, motor and explosives.

The company’s Bayonet drone costs a few thousand dollars. In contrast, a Russian air defence missile used to shoot it down can cost more than $1m.

It is not only cheap drones making the difference.

Palantir, a large US data analysis company, was one of the first Western tech companies to aid Ukraine’s war effort. It started by providing software to improve the speed and accuracy of its artillery strikes. Now it has given Ukraine new tools to plan its long-range drone strikes.

British engineers from Palantir, working with Ukrainian counterparts, have designed a programme to generate and map the best ways to reach a target. Palantir makes clear it is not involved in the missions, but has helped train more than 1,000 Ukrainians how to use its software.

The BBC has been shown how it works in principle. Using streams of data, it can map Russia’s air defences, radar and electronic jammers. The end product looks similar to a topographical chart.

The tighter the contours, the heavier the air defences. The locations have already been identified by Ukraine using commercial satellite imagery and signals intelligence.

Louis Mosley of Palantir says the programme is helping Ukraine to skirt around Russia’s electronic warfare and air defence systems to reach their target.

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“Understanding and visualising what that looks like across the entire battle space is really critical to optimising these missions,” he says.

The execution of the long-range drone strikes is being co-ordinated by Ukraine’s intelligence agencies, who work in secrecy. But the BBC has been told by other sources about some of the detail.

Scores of drones can be fired for any one mission – as many as 60 at one target.

The attacks are mostly carried out at night. Most will be shot down. As few as 10% may reach the target. Some drones are even shot down along the way by friendly fire – Ukraine’s own air defences.

Ukraine has had to work out ways to counter Russian electronic jamming. Terminal Autonomy’s Scythe drone uses visual positioning – navigating its course and examining the terrain by Artificial Intelligence. There is no pilot involved.

Palantir software will have already mapped the best routes. Mr Serra-Martins says flying a lot of drones is key to overwhelming and exhausting Russia’s air defences. So too is making the drones cheaper than the missiles trying to shoot them down, or the targets they are trying to hit.

Prof Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute says Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks are creating dilemmas for Moscow. Although Russia has a lot of air defences, it still cannot protect everything.

Prof Bronk says Ukraine’s long-range strikes are showing ordinary Russians that “the state can’t defend them fully and that Russia is vulnerable”.

Ukrainian drones have been spotted more than 1,000km (620 miles) inside Russia. They have been shot down over Moscow.

But the focus has been on military sites. The map below highlights just a handful of the dozen targets hit over the past few months. They include five Russian airbases.

Prof Justin Bronk says targeting Russian airbases has so far been the only effective way Ukraine has to respond to Russia’s glide bombs.

It has forced Russia to move aircraft to bases further away and reduce the frequency of their attacks. Satellite imagery shows how Ukrainian drones have successfully damaged hangars at its Marynovka airbase.

Ukraine clearly believes it could do even more with the help of Western-made long-range weapons. But so far, allies have rejected Kyiv’s pleas.

There is still a lingering fear, especially in Washington and Berlin, that it could drag the West further into the conflict. But that hasn’t stopped Western companies and finance from helping Ukraine.

Ukraine is still largely having to rely on its home-grown efforts, convinced that bringing the war to Russia is a key to winning this war.

Francisco Serra-Martins also believes Western manufacturers are still “woefully unprepared” to fight high-intensity warfare – producing far fewer long-range weapons at a much higher cost. He says what Ukraine really needs now “is a lot of good enough systems”.

The BBC has talked to one Ukrainian company which is already developing a new cruise missile, at least 10 times cheaper than a British-made Storm Shadow missile.

Despite the West’s misgivings, Ukraine is planning to step up its attacks on Russia. Mr Serra-Martins says: “What you’re seeing now is like nothing compared to what you’ll see by the end of the year.”

Ukraine’s long-range drones using Western tech to hit Russia

BBC

International

Oil companies avoid Iran-blacklisted vessels as Hormuz shipping risks rise

Published

9 hours ago

August 26, 2026

Trends Admin

Oil companies avoid Iran-blacklisted vessels as Hormuz shipping risks rise

At least three Indian oil refiners and a major global energy company are planning to avoid vessels placed on Iran’s 45-ship blacklist, as heightened security and regulatory risks threaten to further disrupt commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The companies are reconsidering the use of the blacklisted vessels, including for ship-to-ship (STS) transfers, after Tehran warned that vessels accused of violating its transit rules could face fines, detention and cargo confiscation.

Iran announced the blacklist on Sunday through the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, saying the vessels had violated its rules for crossing the strategic waterway. Tehran also warned that ships conducting STS transfers or other cargo operations with the blacklisted vessels could themselves face action or be added to the list.

The move has created fresh uncertainty for oil producers, refiners, shipowners, charterers and commodity traders that depend on the Strait of Hormuz to move crude oil, liquefied natural gas and petroleum products from the Gulf to international markets.

The blacklist includes very large crude carriers, LNG carriers, LPG tankers and product tankers. Some of the vessels are linked to major Gulf energy and shipping companies, including ADNOC Logistics & Services and Saudi Arabia’s Bahri, as well as other international operators.

The restrictions appear to be particularly aimed at shuttle tanker operations used by Gulf oil producers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Under the arrangement, tankers transport crude and other petroleum products through the Strait before transferring cargoes to larger vessels through STS operations in the Gulf of Oman.

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Those transfers have helped maintain some Gulf oil exports despite the sharp decline in conventional shipping through the waterway.

However, the latest Iranian warning is forcing companies to reconsider whether the commercial benefits of such operations outweigh the risks.

Several charterers and shipping companies are reportedly holding internal discussions over whether to continue STS operations. A Gulf crude buyer told Reuters that purchasing oil on a delivered basis, rather than taking responsibility for cargoes at STS locations in the Gulf of Oman, could be a safer option.

Formosa Petrochemical is also reviewing its arrangements. Company president KY Lin said its internal departments were still discussing how to handle crude deliveries involving STS transfers through Hormuz in the longer term.

The impact could extend beyond the 45 vessels directly named by Iran because shipowners and charterers may become more cautious about dealing with any vessel that has previously interacted with a blacklisted tanker.

Kpler shipping analyst Ana Subasic said the main concern was a potential wider effect across the shipping industry. If Iran follows through on its threats, the number of shipowners, charterers and oil buyers willing to operate in the region could shrink, particularly among companies with significant exposure to Gulf energy shipments.

That could result in higher freight rates, insurance premiums and security costs, while also increasing the due-diligence requirements companies must meet before chartering vessels or arranging cargo transfers.

The blacklist is particularly sensitive because some of the affected vessels are connected to major Gulf energy companies, including Saudi Aramco and ADNOC. Shipping data indicate that the vessels have been used to transport crude oil, refined products and LNG. Neither Saudi Aramco nor ADNOC has publicly commented on the blacklist.

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The security situation has also affected the visibility of some vessels. Two of the 12 very large crude carriers on Iran’s list stopped transmitting their locations through their automatic identification systems (AIS) after the blacklist was announced, while other vessels had already switched off their transponders.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below recent averages. Preliminary Kpler data showed that only five commodity vessels crossed the waterway on Tuesday, compared with a 10-day average of 15 crossings. Four vessels crossed on Monday.

The low traffic levels underscore the seriousness of the disruption. The Strait is a critical route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, and its disruption has implications for global crude oil and gas supplies.

The latest Iranian restrictions come against the backdrop of an escalating confrontation involving Iran and the United States, with Washington increasing economic pressure on Tehran and the wider regional conflict continuing to affect maritime operations.

At the same time, Iran and Oman have resumed discussions over how commercial navigation through the Strait can be managed. The countries are considering a temporary shipping corridor and measures to clear mines from the waterway.

The talks could eventually help restore more predictable shipping, although analysts caution that any arrangement remains fragile and may not immediately return traffic to normal levels.

The continuing uncertainty is forcing energy companies to reassess their supply chains and shipping strategies.

For Indian refiners and other Asian oil buyers, avoiding blacklisted vessels could mean finding alternative tankers or changing the way crude is delivered. For Gulf producers, it could complicate the movement of cargoes through the waterway and increase the cost of getting oil to international customers.

The situation also creates additional pressure on the global oil market, where prolonged disruption to one of the world’s most important energy corridors could increase transportation costs and contribute to volatility in crude prices.

For now, the decision by several oil companies to avoid Iran-blacklisted vessels represents another indication that the Strait of Hormuz crisis is increasingly influencing commercial decisions across the international energy industry.

If Tehran begins enforcing its threatened penalties against vessels dealing with blacklisted tankers, the consequences could extend well beyond the 45 vessels currently identified, potentially reducing the pool of ships available for Gulf energy trade and adding another layer of risk to global oil and gas supplies.

Oil companies avoid Iran-blacklisted vessels as Hormuz shipping risks rise

International

Trump orders US flags lowered nationwide for one week to honour Dolly Parton

Published

17 hours ago

August 26, 2026

Trends Admin

Dolly Parton

Trump orders US flags lowered nationwide for one week to honour Dolly Parton

US President Donald Trump has ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff across the United States for one week in honour of country music icon Dolly Parton, following her death at the age of 80.

Trump announced the directive on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, shortly after news of Parton’s death was made public. He said the US flags would be lowered from 6 p.m. Tuesday and remain at half-staff for one week as a mark of respect for the legendary singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist.

“In her honour, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

The US President described Dolly Parton as “one of the greatest Country singers” and said her death represented “a true loss for millions of people.”

“There has never been anyone like her, and never will,” Trump added.

The presidential order extends the flag-lowering beyond government buildings in the United States. American flags at military posts, naval stations and other federal facilities, as well as US diplomatic and military facilities overseas, are also covered by the directive.

Parton’s death was announced on Tuesday by her nephew, Bryan Seaver. The announcement said the music legend had died peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee, surrounded by loved ones.

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Her death brought an immediate wave of tributes from across the entertainment industry and beyond, with fellow musicians, public figures and fans celebrating her extraordinary career and humanitarian contributions.

Parton became one of the most recognisable figures in country music, building a career that spanned more than six decades. She was known for globally popular songs such as “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You.”

Her influence extended beyond music. Parton enjoyed a successful career as an actress and businesswoman while also becoming widely respected for her philanthropic work.

One of her most notable initiatives was the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a childhood literacy programme that provides free books to children. The programme has distributed hundreds of millions of books and expanded its reach to communities in several countries.

Parton also contributed significantly to medical research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she donated $1 million to support research at Vanderbilt University that contributed to the development of the Moderna vaccine.

Her achievements earned her numerous honours, including 11 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and inductions into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Parton’s songs also became part of the wider American cultural landscape. “I Will Always Love You”, which she wrote and originally recorded, achieved renewed global success after Whitney Houston’s version featured in the 1992 film The Bodyguard.

Despite her enormous fame, Parton maintained a reputation for connecting with audiences across generations and political and cultural divides. Her work in entertainment, literacy, healthcare and community development helped establish a legacy that went well beyond her music.

Trump’s decision to lower the American flag for a private citizen represents an unusual federal tribute and underscores the scale of Parton’s cultural influence in the United States.

As tributes continue to pour in, Parton’s legacy is expected to endure through her music, films, business ventures and philanthropic initiatives, particularly programmes that continue to benefit children and communities around the world.

Trump orders US flags lowered nationwide for one week to honour Dolly Parton

International

Trump Says US Navy Cleared All Mines From Strait of Hormuz, Warns Iran of ‘Zero Tolerance’

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2026

Trends Admin

Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump

Trump Says US Navy Cleared All Mines From Strait of Hormuz, Warns Iran of ‘Zero Tolerance’

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, August 25, that all mines in the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz have been cleared or detonated by the US Navy. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated: “I have just been informed by the United States Navy that all mines have been removed and/or detonated from within the International Waters of the Strait of Hormuz.” The President further warned that Iran had been notified that “any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed.” He added that the United States is enforcing a “Zero Tolerance” policy on mine placement, and that the US Space Force is “watching every square inch of the Strait.”

Two US officials with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed Trump’s announcement, stating that the US Navy has cleared the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS)—the median lane of the Strait that lies between Oman and Iran. During the conflict, Iran had deployed dozens of mines in the median lane, creating a significant hazard for commercial shipping. Over the past several months, US Navy underwater drones systematically scanned the area and located more than 100 objects suspected to be mines. The US military then contracted private companies to remove or detonate them. The clearing of the median lane now allows ships to move simultaneously in both directions through the strait with US Air Force protection. The operation comes as the US military has already been using the southern lane close to Oman’s coast to move oil tankers, with more than 500 ships transiting in the last 30 days.

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Despite the President’s announcement, an August 25 advisory from the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) warned of a “continued risk of drifting or uncharted mines” in and near the TSS, noting that mine danger areas remain active and “clearance and mine-surveying operations continue throughout the Strait of Hormuz.” JMIC maintained the overall threat level for the waterway at SEVERE. Trump’s statement specifically refers to mines in “International Waters,” while JMIC’s assessment covers the broader Strait and areas around the traffic separation scheme. Known mines in international waters may have been cleared while surveys continue for drifting or previously uncharted mines. Still, JMIC has not declared the Strait mine-free.

The strategic waterway, through which approximately one-fifth of global oil supplies normally pass, has seen a dramatic drop in traffic during the conflict. Oil flows fell to about 5 million barrels per day recently, down from over 20 million before the war. The removal of mines will allow significantly more oil tankers to transit the strait and reduce Iran’s leverage over global energy markets.

On the same day as Trump’s announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al-Busaidi in Tehran to discuss a joint proposal for the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal includes establishing a temporary joint maritime corridor and an agreement to carry out a joint project for mine clearance. However, the two countries did not reach a deal, and questions remain over whether such an agreement would be relevant given the US blockade and Trump’s unilateral announcement of mine clearance.

Trump’s latest announcement comes as tensions remain high over access to the strategic waterway. This marks the second time in a week that Trump has declared the mine threat essentially eliminated. On August 18, he said the Strait was open and that “all water mines” had been removed or detonated, though maritime authorities maintained the operating environment remained dangerous. Iran has continued asserting authority over vessel movements, and the underlying dispute over the Strait’s status remains unresolved.