Ukraine has handed Britain a “goldmine” of secret battlefield intelligence to help the UK protect its bases from Russian spies.
The agreement was signed as prime minister Andy Burnham made his first visit to Kyiv on Monday to chair his first meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” and pledge “continuity” in the UK’s approach to Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky handed the Ministry of Defence (MoD) access to Ukraine’s “Avengers” AI database, which is expected to help the UK learn from Ukraine’s experience on the battlefield and develop AI-powered solutions to national security challenges in both countries, making it the first outside of Ukraine to receive the intelligence, Downing Street said.
While the agreement is initially focused on defence and security, officials said the deal could “revolutionise all parts of public life, from air traffic control to train systems”.
The platform collates real world data and insights on millions of objects, such as tanks, artillery, air defence systems, infantry, and aerial targets, including Shahed drones and reconnaissance UAVs captured by thousands of cameras and sensors across the battlefields in Ukraine.
That information is then fed back to the Avengers Lab to train new AI models.
The first trial of the new collaboration is expected to see AI sensors add an extra layer of protection for military bases, defending against protestors and hostile actors, while a second project will see the UK and Ukraine work together on low-power AI chips that could drive a new series of longer-lasting machines capable of functioning in tougher environments.
Downing Street said the technology could be rolled out to protect airports, prisons and even railways and energy plants in the future.
Last year, RAF Brize Norton was allegedly targeted by Palestine Action, who claimed responsibility after two Voyager planes were damaged.
During his visit, Mr Burnham used a speech outside Kyiv’s St Sophia cathedral to promise that the UK would not be deterred from supporting Ukraine despite threats from Russia.
He also praised the “sheer strength” of the Ukrainian people and described their country as “Europe’s protector, not a drain on our security but the front line in keeping Europe safe”.
Mr Burnham went on to compare Ukraine’s resistance to Russia to the UK’s fight with Nazi Germany, saying: “My nation kept the flame of European freedom alive in the 20th century, you hold that flame in the 21st.”
He later urged Ukraine’s allies to send more interceptor missiles to Kyiv as Ukraine struggles under continued Russian bombardment.
During the trip it was also announced that the UK has agreed to declassify blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, a French-produced version of the Storm Shadow that has already been used to hit targets in Russia.
