Drones used by Ukraine to attack targets in Russia were produced by an American company based near Phoenix, Arizona, investigators have reportedly found, claiming that Poland was also involved in their deployment.
The findings are contained in a document seen by RIA Novosti, according to an article published by the Russian news agency on Friday. It did not state which agency had produced the document, but said the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) had been identified by their electronic components and other parts.
The evidence was reportedly collected during several Ukrainian operations targeting Russian infrastructure in the city of Sevastopol and the regions of Kursk, Belgorod and Voronezh, according to RIA Novosti.
The original maker of the drones was identified as Spektreworks, a company based in Scottsdale, Arizona in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It offers several ready solutions, including large fixed-wing drones with payload allowance of 10lbs (4.5kg), as well as UAV engineering services.
The firm produced avionics and control stations for drones used by Kiev and “conducted their preliminary setting at the Scottsdale Airport,” the report stated.
The final assembly and in-flight testing of the UAVs took place at the Rzeszow Airport in southeastern Poland, which the US and its allies use as a hub for supplying weapons to Ukraine, the investigators claimed. The aircraft were armed and launched from locations near the Ukrainian cities of Odessa and Krivoy Rog, they added.
According to the report, the data “confirms that the US and Poland are directly involved in organizing terrorist acts on the territory of the Russian Federation” and are de facto parties to the armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Kiev had several Soviet-made drones, as well as Turkish-produced Bayraktar TB2 armed UAVs, in its arsenal before the start of the hostilities with Russia in late February. Western nations have pledged to arm Kiev for “as long as it takes” to defeat Moscow on the battlefield.