Dorozvidka #74: “Achilles” with RZ-20 KAT mid-strike, Ihor Fedirko on exports, Operation M&Ms and an Order for Elon Musk

In the new edition of Dorozvidka:

• The “Achilles” brigade demonstrated successful use of the RZ-20 KAT mid-strike drone at a range of 80 km;
• Ihor Fedirko, CEO of the Ukrainian Council of Weapons Manufacturers, on the problems facing Ukrainian arms exports;
• Operation M&Ms: Ukraine reportedly planned to attack Moscow airports with swarms of drones;
• The SBU and National Police foiled an assassination attempt against the head of a defence company in Kyiv region;
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Elon Musk the Order of Freedom;
• Kyiv hosted a robotic parade to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day.

“Achilles” brigade demonstrates successful use of RZ-20 KAT mid-strike at a range of 80 km

The 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade “ACHILLES” published a video showing operations by crews from its long-range strike company. They target Russian logistics at operational depths of 50 to 150 km using RZ-20 KAT mid-strike drones, details of which are not publicly available.

The drones were used, among other things, to destroy a Russian mobile fire team and several trucks.

UCDI CEO Ihor Fedirko on arms export problems

In the 11 months since Ukraine launched arms exports in October last year, the Ukrainian defence industry has secured no more than 10 small export contracts. Ihor Fedirko, CEO of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry.

He says neither the old procedure, under which export permits began to be issued in February 2026, nor the new procedure introduced by government resolution No. 875, adopted on July 1, has started working properly. The resolution provides for a special simplified mechanism for arms exports during martial law, but Fedirko argues that the industry’s position was not taken into account during its development. As a result, exports remain effectively stalled.

In his post, the head of the Council of Weapons Manufacturers identifies five major problems with the new resolution.

Operation M&Ms: Ukraine reportedly planned to attack Moscow airports with drone swarms

According to The Atlantic, Ukrainian officials proposed a plan to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year to launch swarms of AI-guided drones at Moscow airports. The aim was reportedly not so much to physically destroy the airports as to disrupt civilian air traffic to and from Moscow for an extended period. The planners hoped this would put additional pressure on Russian elites and eventually push them to demand that Vladimir Putin negotiate. According to one source, up to 1,000 drones per night could have been needed to overwhelm Russian air defences.

The operation was reportedly codenamed M&Ms and envisaged the use of cheap, largely identical drones capable of identifying targets autonomously without continuous operator control. According to two Atlantic sources, Ukrainian developers were working on an autonomous navigation system based on map matching. The drones would compare images captured by their cameras during flight with preloaded maps and target imagery, allowing them to operate even amid Russian electronic warfare interference.

The plan reportedly raised serious concerns over the risk of hitting civilian aircraft and people. According to the publication’s sources, Zelenskyy allowed preparations to continue but the project was halted in July following the dismissal of then-Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whom The Atlantic describes as one of its architects. One source said the operation could technically be revived in around three months. However, a representative of the President’s Office denied that such a plan existed, calling the report “total nonsense”, while The Atlantic’s sources remain anonymous.

Read more. 

SSU and National Police foil assassination attempt against defence company executive in Kyiv region

The Security Service of Ukraine’s counterintelligence unit and the National Police foiled a Russian intelligence-backed terrorist attack in Kyiv region. The operation prevented the assassination of the head of one of Ukraine’s defence companies.

According to the SBU, Russia’s Federal Security Service was behind the plot. The attackers planned to kill the executive using an explosive device attached under the driver’s seat of his car. SBU counterintelligence and the National Police discovered, removed and defused the bomb in advance. It contained 1 kg of RDX.

Read the full SSU message.

Kyiv hosts robotic parade to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day

Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicles, UAVs and naval drones were showcased in Kyiv during celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence on August 24.

Footage of the robotic parade on Khreshchatyk Street, on the Dnipro River and in the skies over Kyiv was shown during the capital’s official online broadcast.

Among the systems demonstrated was the new MV11 naval drone by UFORCE. The USV has 10 cubic metres of internal space and can carry several dozen interceptor drones.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy awards Elon Musk the Order of Freedom

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree awarding American businessman Elon Musk the Order of Freedom.

Starlink, the satellite communications platform owned by Musk’s SpaceX, has become one of Ukraine’s key technological advantages during the full-scale war against Russia. In the first days after the invasion, Ukrainian entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and then Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov approached Musk for help — and he agreed.

In a recent interview with Defender Media, Freedom Fund founder and UFORCE CEO Oleg Rogynskyi explained how Ukraine received its first 25,000 Starlink terminals for the Defence Forces.