Auterion is set to send Kiev 33,000 AI-controlled UAVs under a Pentagon contract by the end of the year
Washington is planning to send 33,000 AI-controlled drones to Ukraine with plans to later upgrade them using swarm technology, the Financial Times has reported.
Auterion, the US-German start-up which developed the UAVs, recently unveiled its “drone swarm strike engine,” dubbed Nemyx, which transforms individual drones into a single force through a software app that allows any compatible system to join the swarm.
The new software has yet to be tested on the battlefield, but Auterion has said it plans to upload it to the AI drone “strike kits” it is set to deliver to Ukraine by the end of the year under a Pentagon contract.
While the delivery would be one of the largest of its kind, the volume is still relatively small compared to the hundreds of thousands of drones already used by Ukrainian forces each month.
The Ukraine conflict has repeatedly been described as a weapons testing ground by both Western and Russian officials.
In 2023, a senior Pentagon official said Ukraine had become a “military innovation laboratory,” while Russian President Vladimir Putin has noted that armies worldwide are studying Moscow’s battlefield tactics and technologies.
The US military has also recently acknowledged that it is lagging behind Russia, China, and Ukraine in drone technology. A US army general told CNN this week that Washington is “rushing to catch up.”
Last month, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky had pitched a $50 billion co-production plan for 10 million drones to US President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly condemned the continued deliveries of Western weapons to Ukraine, arguing they only lead to more bloodshed and prolong the conflict without affecting its outcome.
Moscow has consistently denounced Ukraine’s continued use of drones to strike civilian targets, which often leads to the deaths of innocent people, including children. Russian officials have described these strikes as blatant terrorism carried out by the Kiev regime.
The Russan Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman has lambasted an icon-like depiction of the Ukrainian leader and his aides as “meme-canonization of the ghouls”
The portrayal of Vladimir Zelensky and his closest aides as Christian saints by a Ukrainian outlet is another step towards the destruction of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
The September issue of NV (New Voice of Ukraine) magazine carried a photo-shopped image of Zelensky, his chief of staff Andrey Yermak, and adviser Dmitry Litvin dressed in white robes with halos above their heads and large white wings extending behind them.
The cover story, titled ‘The Supreme Trinity’, promised readers an inside look at how key decisions are made in Zelensky’s office.
Zakharova wrote on Telegram on Thursday that she first thought the image was “fake” and said she was surprised that a media outlet had chosen to depict Zelensky and his allies in the style of Christian iconography.
“The destruction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church continues through a meme-canonization of the ghouls,” she said.
In traditional Christian belief, one can only be declared a saint after death, so the spokeswoman interpreted the cover as “a subtle hint that the Ukrainian people would agree even to this scenario as long as the [Zelensky] regime departs.”
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Kiev has taken an increasingly hard line against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it says maintains ties with Moscow. Several of the denomination’s properties, including churches, have been seized and criminal cases opened against a number of its clerics. In early September, the Ukrainian authorities filed a case with the country’s top administrative court to have the UOC legally dissolved.
The Zelensky government supports the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which was created in 2018 and is considered schismatic by the Moscow Patriarchate.
Russia’s demands for a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict include calling for Kiev to stop its campaign against the UOC and to lift all restrictions on its activities.
New Delhi, which fought a brief conflict with Islamabad in May, has said it will study the implications of the move
Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a formal mutual defense pact, further strengthening the decades-long security partnership between the two Muslim nations.
The move comes shortly after an extraordinary joint session between the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in which member states condemned last week’s Israeli attack on the Qatari capital, Doha, which targeted officials from Palestinian armed group Hamas. According to media reports, the incident caused concern among Gulf nations about the ability of the US to guarantee their security.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the defense pact between their countries in Riyadh on Wednesday.
“This agreement, which reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region and the world, aims to develop aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” the joint statement by Riyadh and Islamabad read.
According to the deal, any attack against Saudi Arabia or Pakistan “shall be considered an aggression against both,” it stressed.
India, which fought a four-day military conflict with Pakistan in May following a terrorist attack on tourists in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, said it will “study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability.”
New Delhi was aware of security ties between Riyadh and Islamabad and knew that a defense pact between them had been in the works, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X.
A senior Saudi official told Reuters that the deal with Pakistan was “a culmination of years of discussions. This is not a response to specific countries or specific events.”
Saudi Arabia’s relationship with India “is more robust than it has ever been. We will continue to grow this relationship and seek to contribute to regional peace whichever way we can,” he added.
Military ties between Riyadh and Islamabad date back more than half a century, with thousands of Saudi officers receiving training in Pakistan. The defense partnership remains active through training programs and joint exercises.
The would-be assassin tried to plant a bomb under the target’s car in St. Petersburg, the agency said
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has thwarted a Ukrainian plot to assassinate the head of a Russian defense company in St. Petersburg, the agency claimed on Thursday.
The male suspect, dressed in women’s clothes “in an attempt to mislead the investigation” but was apprehended by officers while planting the bomb on the target’s vehicle, it added. Footage released by the agency captured the man posing as an elderly lady.
According to the FSB, Ukrainian spy services recruited a man and two women online to carry out the planned car bomb attack.
On the orders of their handlers, the women surveilled their target before obtaining an improvised explosive device from a stash at a local cemetery and handing it over to the would-be assassin, the agency said in a statement.
Criminal cases have been launched against the suspects on preparing a terrorist act and illegal possession of explosives, the FSB said. They could also face charges of participating in a terrorist organization and treason, which carry a punishment of up to life in prison, it added.
The agency warned that “Ukrainian intelligence agencies are continuing to actively search the internet for potential perpetrators of terrorist attacks and sabotage,” and urged the public to stay vigilant and refrain from communicating with unknown contacts on messaging apps.
Ukraine has assassinated several officials and public figures inside Russia since the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in 2022, often using local operatives. Last year, a man recruited by Kiev killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces, and his aide with a bomb hidden inside an electric scooter parked outside Kirillov’s Moscow home.
Reporter Matt Gutman said he aimed to highlight the ‘contrast’ between the killing and Tyler Robinson’s affectionate texts to his partner
ABC News correspondent Matt Gutman has apologized for a report in which he described “very touching” text messages between the alleged killer of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk and his transgender partner.
Utah County Attorney General Jeff Gray had read some of the messages while announcing charges against Tyler Robinson, accused of fatally shooting Kirk at Utah Valley University.
“I want to protect you, my love,” Robinson allegedly told his partner.Gutman described the messages as “a very intimate portrait” and “very touching.” He described Robinson as “a very human person” and said there was a “heartbreaking duality” in the case, pointing to Robinson’s high academic record.
Following a backlash, Gutman posted an apology on X.
”Yesterday I tried to underscore the jarring contrast between this cold blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk … and the personal, disturbing texts read aloud by the Utah County Attorney at the press conference,” Gutman wrote on Wednesday. “I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear.”
“Let there be zero doubt here: I unequivocally condemn this horrific crime,” he said.
Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed during a university appearance earlier this week. Authorities say Robinson was arrested and charged after evidence, including texts and surveillance footage, allegedly linked him to the crime.
The killing has triggered reactions across the political spectrum, with some on the left openly expressing approval.
Since the shooting, several individuals have faced disciplinary measures over social media posts that appeared to celebrate or mock Kirk’s death.
MSNBC ended its relationship with analyst Matthew Dowd after he linked the killing to Kirk’s rhetoric. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show was pulled off the air indefinitely following comments he made about the assassination.
Other organizations, including Nasdaq, the US Secret Service, United Airlines, Fox Sports, and the Washington Post have also taken action against staff.
US Vice President J.D. Vance has called on the public to report individuals who praise or joke about the killing to their employers.
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The move comes a week after the assassination of conservative organizer Charlie Kirk
US President Donald Trump has announced that he is officially designating the left-wing Antifa movement as a terrorist organization.
The decision comes a week after the assassination of conservative podcaster and organizer Charlie Kirk during his college speaking tour. Senior Republican officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have attributed the murder to “left-wing extremism.”
“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Wednesday evening.
He added that those funding Antifa should be “thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices.”
🚨 "I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION…" – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/irLHCkrX1n
Antifa, short for “antifascists,” is an umbrella term for black-clad, masked left-wing activists who often violently disrupt conservative demonstrations and clash with right-wing protesters, as well as with police.
The movement gained national attention during the 2020 George Floyd unrest. Antifa members have also been accused of participating in riots and carrying out ambush attacks on conservative figures and journalists.
Tyler Robinson, the man charged with Kirk’s murder, had reportedly held left-leaning and pro-LGBTQ views, according to officials.
Prosecutors said he confessed to killing Kirk in text messages to his transgender romantic partner. “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson allegedly wrote shortly after Kirk was shot.
Three died and two others are in critical condition following a shootout while investigating a suspected domestic incident
Three US police officers were fatally shot while serving an arrest warrant in York County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.
Two other officers were wounded and remain in critical condition, while the suspected shooter was killed, officials said.
The officers had reportedly intended to arrest the shooter “after a charge of stalking and criminal trespass was filed Wednesday in York County,” according to CNN, citing law enforcement sources.
Police were dispatched to Haar and Emig roads in Spring Grove, a farming community but how the shooting unfolded remains unclear.
A neighbor told local news station WGAL that he heard at least 30 gunshots and saw two officers lying on the ground at a farmhouse.
🚨 BREAKING: MULTIPLE officers have been shot in York County, PA
Per preliminary reports, three have been shot, and at least one is being medevaced
Governor Josh Shapiro has expressed condolences to the officers’ families, saying, “This is an absolutely tragic and devastating day for York County and the entire commonwealth.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said federal agents were on the ground assisting local law enforcement.
Would the US sacrifice New York for Paris? From Europe to Asia, Washington’s alliances are fraying
Whether we like it or not, the history of international politics is a near-continuous chain of violence between states. Rarely has this violence been aimed at total conquest or permanent subjugation. More often it reflects a state’s instinct for survival – the attempt to build a system where security does not depend solely on self-defense, but on recognition by others. That logic is especially clear when outside protection begins to fade.
For decades, the United States has provided such protection, shaping a world in which some states survived not because of their own balance with neighbors, but because Washington made their survival a strategic interest. Today, however, America’s reach is shrinking. Even its most privileged allies must consider unfamiliar ways of surviving in hostile regions. The results may be unpredictable, but the trend is inevitable – and it offers hope that regional balances will replace the distortions of the late 20th century.
The Middle East shows this most clearly. Israel, Washington’s most intimate partner, demonstrates the limits of US protection. Despite having diplomatic relations with many neighbors, the Israeli government cannot resolve its core problems without recurring to force – strikes against Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, and even Qatar. Its intelligence apparatus, extensive as it is, functions more as an instrument of war than of diplomacy.
These operations may yield tactical gains and impress domestic audiences. But they do little to convince neighbors that coexistence is possible. Israel today appears more isolated than ever. That isolation drives it toward desperate measures: military actions along almost its entire frontier, in the hope that constant pressure will eventually buy regional recognition.
Unlike Europe, Israel has long been shielded from existential risk. None of its neighbors possesses the nuclear arsenal that Russia holds over NATO, nor are they likely to do so soon. This is what has made the Middle East, from Washington’s point of view, a relatively “easy” theater for projecting a global presence. Arab states and Iran, for all their hostility, have never achieved unity sufficient to threaten Israel’s existence. The inability of the region to coalesce after the October 2023 terrorist attack, or following Israel’s strike on Iran in June 2025, confirmed this peculiarity.
Europe presents the opposite case. Here, hostility toward Russia raises questions that cut to America’s own survival. No serious strategist has ever believed the US would trade New York for Paris. NATO bases and deployments may reassure Western Europeans, but they do not alter this reality. In Asia, the problem is similar: Japan and South Korea remain heavily dependent on Washington, but the rise of China alters the balance. What was once a manageable Cold War front now risks a confrontation with a nuclear-armed peer. Small wonder Tokyo and Seoul openly debate nuclear options of their own.
Against that backdrop, Israel’s uniqueness stands out. Its survival does not risk American destruction. For Washington, this makes it a safer bet than Europe or Asia. For Israel, it means dependence on US support is less precarious than for allies who could drag America into nuclear war.
Still, the cost is visible. Israel remains unable to achieve even the simplest foreign-policy goals without resorting to arms. Decades after the modern Middle East balance took shape, there is still no autonomous regional order. Arab states and Iran, despite occasional solidarity, prefer to maintain their own fragile equilibrium rather than unite against Israel. For them, war would be more destructive than enduring Israeli strikes.
For Israel, however, this creates a vicious circle. Unable to gain recognition by diplomacy, it turns again to force – not to conquer or destroy, but to compel others to accept it as an indispensable element in the regional balance. In practice, this makes Israel resemble less a conventional state than an armed organization dependent on external patronage.
This behavior is hardly unique. European history is filled with states that relied on violence to secure recognition in an anarchic order – Russia from the 16th to 18th centuries, Germany in the 19th. When law and institutions break down, military pressure becomes the only available language. Israel today is simply the latest example.
The United States thus faces an awkward truth. Its closest ally is locked in a cycle of permanent confrontation, unable to settle into a regional balance without the use of arms. Europe is more dangerous still, because any confrontation with Russia touches directly on America’s own survival. Asia, with China’s rise, is drifting toward the same category.
If Washington cannot impose order abroad, its allies must increasingly provide for themselves. That means more independent maneuvering, more local balancing, and – inevitably – more violence. For some, like Japan or South Korea, this may mean nuclear ambition. For Israel, it means the endless use of military pressure to compensate for diplomatic impotence.
The chain of violence in international politics will not end. But the distortions of the US-led order – where entire states survived only by grace of American interest – may. The Middle East, Europe, and Asia are all shifting toward harsher but more balanced systems.
For Israel, this means greater isolation, even as it clings tighter to US patronage. For Europe, it means the exposure of NATO’s guarantees as paper-thin. For Asia, it means the emergence of nuclear independence among Washington’s allies.
In every case, the choice for the United States grows more difficult. Its allies are no longer safe wards, but dangerous burdens. And as they adjust to survival on their own terms, the distorted picture of the past half-century may finally give way to a world of genuine balances – violent, unstable, but less dependent on illusions.
This article was first published by Valdai Discussion Club, translated and edited by the RT team.
