Dorozvidka #12: Bulava, interceptor drones, Ukraine’s missile programme, and Brooks Newmark on his role in Trypillian

Last week saw new reports emerge about operation “Spiderweb,” in which Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) struck a significant portion of Russia’s long-range aviation fleet. Sources at the SBU told Babel that engineers developed special drones for this mission, capable of being remotely operated in real time from thousands of kilometres beyond Ukraine’s borders. The system was also designed to bypass Russian air defences.

As always, Dorozvidka by Defender Media rounds up the most important defence tech news from the past week — from media reports to key statements by military officials, politicians, investors and experts.

Brooks Newmark – Co-founder of Trypillian

At the end of May, it was revealed that British-Ukrainian defence tech startup Trypillian had secured $5 million in investment from former UK government minister Brooks Newmark.

On 12 June, Forbes Ukraine published an interview with Newmark, in which he disclosed that he is actually a co-founder of Trypillian — meaning this is not a traditional venture deal. Nonetheless, it remains the largest public investment by a foreigner into a single Ukrainian defence tech company.

According to Newmark, Trypillian is currently developing three products. The first is a deep-strike drone for attacking targets far behind enemy lines. The second is a drone swarm system, and the third is a potential venture into atmospheric satellites. He expects at least two of the three products to be ready within three months. By the end of the year, Trypillian aims to produce over 1,000 drones.

Fedorov on the Bulava drone

Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov has released combat footage of the Ukrainian VTOL drone Bulava. It’s a strike-reconnaissance system developed by DeViRo in partnership with the Brave1 defence tech cluster. Fedorov stressed that Bulava is already operational and outperforms the Russian Lancet drone on several key metrics.

According to Fedorov, Bulava does more than just hit targets — it “does so accurately, deep behind enemy lines, and in the toughest conditions.” The drone:

• Possesses several unique features that remain classified for security reasons.
• Eliminates high-priority targets such as electronic warfare systems and air defence platforms (Buk-M, Tor, etc.);
• Strikes both stationary and mobile targets;
• Provides real-time video confirmation of successful strikes.

Zelensky signs fibre optic exemption and announces interceptor drones

On 13 June, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law exempting fibre optic components for drones from VAT and customs duties. The legislation had earlier been approved by the Verkhovna Rada.

Last week, Zelensky also took part in the “Ukraine – Southeast Europe” summit, where he announced that Ukraine would strengthen the protection of its energy infrastructure with anti-aircraft interceptor drones. These solutions, he said, are actively being developed and funded.

Updates on Ukraine’s missile programme

Deputy Defence Minister Anatolii Klochko spoke to ministry spokesperson Dmytro Lazutkin on the Ministry of Defence’s YouTube channel. Klochko said that the missile programme now functions as a separate system with clear management and direct coordination with manufacturers. It draws funding from several sources, including foreign partners and private enterprises. As of June 2025, 47% of the missile programme’s budget has been executed. Klochko added that Ukraine’s defence-industrial complex is currently meeting up to a third of the armed forces’ weapons needs.

Valentyn Badrak, Director of the Centre for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, shared further details about Ukraine’s Sapsan ballistic missile in a piece for Liga.net. He stated that the missile’s warhead weighs 480 kg. During trials, Sapsan reached speeds of Mach 5.2 (1,769.5 m/s), significantly faster than American ATACMS missiles (Mach 3 or 1,500 m/s), and approaching the velocity of Russia’s Iskander-M (Mach 6 or 2,100 m/s). Badrak reiterated that the missile successfully completed combat testing in May 2025 and has now entered serial production.