AI-powered Russian Lancet drone strikes central Kyiv for first time - video
The drone debris fell near the Independence Square (Photo: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)
An enemy drone that fell near the Independence Monument during a Russian attack on Kyiv in the morning was an AI-powered Lancet, the military portal Defense Express (DE) reported on March 16, citing its own sources.
Russian invaders used a new type of attack UAV, which poses a significant threat, for the first time to strike Kyiv, DE wrote. The strike aimed to demonstrate the enemy's new terrorist capabilities.
Debris from the UAV, which is still being analyzed, indicated that it was indeed a Lancet. There is a high probability that this drone used artificial intelligence, analysts stressed.
"It was configured for swarm use, autonomous navigation, target search, and strike without a connection to an operator," DE noted.
"This is indicated by very unusual markings in the form of colored circles."
Furthermore, the UAV likely used communication via mesh modems or a mobile network.
A Lancet's range is typically around 50 km, but Russia has claimed flights of 90 km, with a record of 136 km. At the same time, Kyiv center is more than 200 km from the Russian border, DE noted.
It remains unknown whether the Lancet can cover this distance. However, the Belarusian border is about 90 km from Kyiv, analysts recalled.
Overall, the very attempt to strike central Kyiv with a Lancet drone, which carries a warhead weighing up to 3 kilograms, is seen merely as a demonstration of the aggressor country's new terrorist strike capabilities, DE concluded.
National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Center for Countering Disinformation head Andrii Kovalenko commented on the information, noting that if confirmed, it means earlier warnings are becoming a reality — AI drones capable of independently selecting targets.
"Two can play this game," Kovalenko wrote on Telegram.
"But the development of these technologies also inevitably brings a major war closer to Europe, which, unlike us, will be unprepared for these threats."
On the morning of March 16, Russia attacked Kyiv and oblast with drones and several missiles, which were likely shot down on approach to the capital. A series of explosions rang out in Kyiv as air defense operated, and debris fell in several districts and right in the center of the capital — near the Independence Monument on the Maidan.
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