Ukraine uses AI drones to hit Russian supply vehicles on southern routes

The Ukrainian military is using new AI drone technology to target vehicles supplying Russian forces along key roads in occupied southern Ukraine.

BBC Verify confirmed footage of at least 14 incidents in the past week in which trucks carrying food, fuel and ammunition were struck on routes linking Russia to Crimea and other occupied areas.

Analysis from the Institute for the Study of War shows Ukraine has regained more ground than it has lost for the first time since 2023. Neither side has made significant territorial gains in recent months.

Experts say advances in drone systems, including the AI-enabled Hornet, have let Ukraine strike Russian targets farther from the front line and with greater accuracy.

Defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Wednesday the "logistics lockdown" strategy is meant to increase pressure on Russian forces in the rear and limit their ability to sustain offensive operations.

Footage reviewed by BBC Verify and the open-source group GeoConfirmed shows burned-out container lorries and other military vehicles at several points along a main supply route through southern Ukraine. At least 10 strikes were recorded between the Russian border and occupied Mariupol, and one south-west of Melitopol.

Analyst Clément Molin of Atum Mundi said he had confirmed the destruction of 150 vehicles more than 20 km from the front line, though he estimated this covered roughly half of all incidents.

Russia has shortened convoys on supply routes as a quick response to limit damage, said Cristian Vlas of the conflict monitoring group Acled. He said Ukraine's goal is to disrupt logistical convoys, command posts and communication towers that support Russian units at the front.

Robert Tollast of the Royal United Service Institute said some brigades require up to 1,000 tonnes of fuel, food and ammunition each day. He noted that Ukraine's new drone ranges allow strikes on ammunition trucks 100 km or more from the front line.

Nick Brown of Janes said the Hornet drones use an AI-targeting system trained on thousands of hours of video of Russian targets. The drones can also connect to the Starlink network for longer-range control and greater resistance to jamming.

George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine's use of technology means the war is not a stalemate. He said Russia's ability to conduct infiltration missions will likely degrade as Ukrainian strikes push Russian logistics farther from the front.

The 412th Nemesis Brigade said this week that Russian commanders have restricted movement of heavy equipment in southern Ukraine and are using fields and dirt roads to avoid drones.