This edition of Defense Tech Monthly examines how wartime operations continue to expand from the direct battlefield into civilian infrastructure, space, cyber, and the broader economy:
— Exacerbation of Russian Starlink Usage — expansion of satellite communication from Molniya to BM-35 UAVs and Shaheds.
— Machine-Gun-Armed UGV and POWs — after the first-ever case of POWs captured by a kamikaze UGV in 2025, January marked the first published surrender to a machine-gun-armed platform.
— MANPADS on Geran-2 — Russia experiments with UAV-launched Verba missiles to hunt aircraft.
— Deep-Strike Campaign — January’s strikes on Russian oil and energy infrastructure, military-industrial facilities, and supporting systems.
— Geran-5 Unveiled — a faster, higher-flying Shahed derivative that blurs the line between loitering munition and cruise missile.
— “Dataroom” Launch — a digital environment to accelerate the development of AI-enabled air-defense capabilities using real battlefield data.
— Caribbean Sea Campaign — the U.S. seizes 7 tankers linked to Venezuelan–Russian sanctions evasion, shrinking the shadow fleet and export revenues.
— Ukrainian Defense Industry — Ukraine is an increasingly attractive investment environment, but key parts of the frontline innovation pipeline remain underfunded.