Ukraine’s AI-enabled drones are trying to disrupt Russia’s energy industry. So far, it’s working

Ukraine is hitting Russia’s huge oil and gas industry, which despite Western import bans and price caps is the biggest source of revenue for its war economy.

There’s a loud buzzing sound as a small silhouette approaches in the air. The noise is eerily reminiscent of Russian drone strikes on Ukraine, but this episode was recorded closer to Moscow than to Kyiv. “They’re flying right towards us,” a woman is heard saying in Russian, in a video shared on social media and reviewed by CNN. As the object comes closer, it becomes clear: This is a Ukrainian drone, flying over Russian territory. “I’m f**king scared,” she lets out. Another video, recorded moments later, shows the same drone veering left as loud air raid sirens muffle the propeller’s noise. Seconds later, the drone dives from the sky, smashing into a pipe-covered tower at a Russian oil refinery, exploding on impact. CNN geolocated the videos to Rosneft’s Ryazan refinery — one of Russia’s largest — more than 500 km (311 miles) away from Ukraine. The strike on March 13, one of several on this facility alone, was part of a concerted Ukrainian effort to target Russian oil refineries with long-range drones. These daring Ukrainian strikes are hitting Russia’s massive oil and gas industry, which despite Western import bans and price caps has remained the biggest source of revenue for Moscow’s war economy. The attacks have been made possible by the use of drones with longer ranges and more advanced capabilities, some of which have even begun to integrate a basic form of artificial intelligence to help them navigate and avoid being jammed, a source close to Ukraine’s drone program told CNN.