The Guardian: Russian strike on Kyiv destroyed US drone factory

A Russian strike on Kyiv on July 26 destroyed a facility belonging to Terminal Autonomy, an American company that manufactures precision-guided drones, The Guardian reported, citing a source close to the company.

Terminal Autonomy was founded in Delaware in 2023. According to The Guardian, the company produces long-range drones with artificial intelligence and guidance systems resistant to Russian electronic warfare.

No one was killed in the strike, and the company did not respond to The Guardian's request for comment.

In its summary for July 26, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian forces had struck "a site for assembling and storing unmanned aerial vehicles in the southwestern part of Kyiv," where up to 1,000 drones were produced per month "with the involvement of specialists from a Ukrainian-American company." The ministry did not name the company.

The Guardian reported that the strike may have been the first known instance of Russian forces deliberately targeting a facility owned by a U.S. company. However, Russian forces have previously attacked U.S. companies operating in Ukraine. It is unclear whether The Guardian was referring specifically to U.S. defense companies.