American-made technology guiding Ukraine's strikes into Russia

Source: CBS News

Updated on: July 9, 2026 / 12:38 PM EDT / CBS News


KYIV, Ukraine — In early March, an American-made reconnaissance aircraft glided above Ukraine's choppy Black Sea waters, scanning for Russian targets below. As it approached a gas field just off Ukraine's southern coast, operators monitoring the feed saw what appeared to be Russian soldiers and military equipment on top of an oil rig.

Calling in a fleet of sea drones, Ukraine's navy began firing on the rig. When a nearby Russian Ka-27 helicopter landed to evacuate personnel and equipment, a Ukrainian aerial drone swooped down, exploding on contact with the aircraft.

The engagement cost Russia over $1.5 million in military equipment, and according to Ukraine's navy, destroyed a key Russian platform for strikes into neighboring Ukrainian regions. It was one early example of a more aggressive Ukrainian strategy to use longer-range strike drones to deplete Russia's resources.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has since declared a 40-day "influence operation" that expires in early August to coerce Russia into ending its war. The reconnaissance aircraft that spotted the oil rig — a long-range surveillance drone known as the "V-BAT," manufactured by the American defense firm Shield AI — has played an increasingly important role in this campaign.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-made-technology-guiding-ukraines-strikes-into-russia/