Ukraine's new long-range drones may reach Siberia

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have developed a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a range of up to 3,000 kilometres, The Economist reports.

Photo: armyinform.com.ua by АрміяInform is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Kyiv reportedly invested hundreds of millions of dollars in developing drones capable of detecting and hitting targets at long distances. Currently, Ukraine manufactures drones at six enterprises. The most advanced of the new UAV models has a range of 3,000 kilometres. It is potentially capable of reaching even Siberia.

Washington fears that Kyiv will continue striking the Russian territory, The Economist said. The White House is trying to get the Ukrainians to stop the strikes. The Americans want Ukraine to stop striking Russia, but Kyiv is ignoring such recommendations, the publication said. At the same time, a Ukrainian intelligence officer with the call sign Detective said that he had not received instructions to cease operations.

A long-range drone maker said that some US officials "winked" when relaying warnings not to target Russian territory. "They privately advise us to continue,” he said.

Washington fears that rising world oil prices and Russia's retaliatory measures amid ongoing attacks on the Russian territory, The Financial Times said citing three sources. The United States had repeatedly sent warnings to senior officials of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Main Intelligence Directorate.

The White House is increasingly frustrated by brazen Ukrainian drone attacks that struck oil refineries, terminals, warehouses and storage facilities in western Russia, crippling its oil production capacity, The FT said.

Despite all the sanctions against the Russian energy industry, Moscow remains one of the world's largest energy exporters. In addition, Russia may strike energy infrastructure that the West relies on, such as the CPC pipeline, which carries oil from Kazakhstan through Russia to the world market.