Ukraine builds $6.8B defense tech fund as 400 AI-Petri jammers deploy and 1,700 civilians hit by mines

Ukraine is launching its largest defense-technology fund, drawing in American investment and deepening cooperation with Canada as the war with Russia grinds on. The push comes as Ukrainian companies field new electronic warfare systems and ground robots, even as land mines inflict a growing civilian toll.

Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced that Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, will become the lead investor in a new defense technology company Fedorov is building [238965]. The announcement confirmed earlier hints that Fedorov was selling investors something broader than drones alone [238965].

The fund aims to strengthen Ukraine's domestic defense industry, which is worth an estimated $6.8 billion and includes more than 400 companies [236428]. Those firms have urged Kyiv to centralize control over the weapons sector, warning that responsibility is currently scattered across at least half a dozen agencies, slowing decisions and weakening oversight [236428].

On the battlefield, a Ukrainian company that began building electronic warfare equipment after Russia seized Crimea in 2014 has unveiled a new system called Ai-Petri, named after the highest peak on the peninsula [239152]. About 400 units are already deployed along the front line, according to the maker. Electronic warfare gear uses signals to disrupt or disable enemy communications, radar, and drones [239152].

Ukraine also presented its drones in Canada after the two countries declared new defense cooperation, which Kyiv calls a first step toward a drone deal that has not yet been signed [239130]. Canada separately pledged over $1 billion in military aid, including Patriot missiles and F-16 ammunition, and will join Ukraine's FREYJA anti-ballistic program [239140].

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has the technology to counter Russia's fastest drones but lacks the money to build them at scale, with dozens of companies working on solutions but none funded to produce them in the numbers needed [239131]. Ukraine's US-supplied Patriot systems are nearly depleted while Russia produces about 100 of its deadliest ballistic missiles monthly, prompting Kyiv to strike missile factories and develop a homemade interceptor costing about $700,000 each [239141].

The human cost continues to mount. Land mines have injured nearly 1,700 civilians since the invasion began, with farmers hardest hit [239151]. Two Ukrainian soldiers who lost their legs to landmines have rejoined their National Guard unit, fighting from behind drone screens instead of on the battlefield [239132]. A Ukrainian ground robot normally used to carry ammunition was deployed to evacuate casualties after a Russian FPV drone struck a house, with the K-2 brigade saying its task was "not cargo" but "people" [239125].

Meanwhile, 122 European Parliament members are urging EU leaders to restart plans to use over €200 billion in frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, citing a €23 billion defense funding gap and the hardest winter since the war began [239137]. The Kremlin has signaled openness to trilateral talks with the United States and Ukraine, though it said predicting whether a meeting would be effective is difficult given Kyiv's worsening position [238418].