Defense & Geopolitics — 2026-03-17
Ukraine Strikes Moscow for 4th Consecutive Day; Zelensky Meets Starmer in London
Ukraine launched 40+ drones at Moscow for the fourth straight day while striking Russian-occupied Melitopol. Russian forces expended 9,616 kamikaze drones in 24 hours -- a rate raising sustainability questions. Zelensky met King Charles and PM Starmer in London and expressed readiness to discuss interceptor drone sales to Israel, creating a potential Ukraine-Israel defense technology bridge shaped by the Iran war.
Analysis
Prior digest reported Russia sharing Shahed drone technology with Iran. Ukraine now offers counter-drone expertise to Gulf states and Israel, creating a proxy technology competition with the Iran war as proving ground.
Prior digest reported Russia sharing Shahed drone technology with Iran. Ukraine now offers counter-drone expertise to Gulf states and Israel, creating a proxy technology competition with the Iran war as proving ground.