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Fact check: The Ukrainians offered the petabytes of data they possessed on drone swarming AI to the US, who turned it down

Checked on March 6, 2025

1. Summary of the results

The original statement about Ukraine offering petabytes of drone swarming AI data to the US cannot be verified based on the provided sources. None of the analyzed sources directly confirm or deny this specific claim [1] [2] [3] [4]. While there is evidence of Ukraine's involvement with AI and drone technology, including collaboration with companies like Palantir [1], there's no confirmation of any data transfer offer to the US government.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original statement:

  • Ukraine is actively developing drone technology, specifically through companies like Sine.Engineering [2]
  • There is ongoing tech collaboration between Ukraine and private companies like Palantir, focusing on software and analytics support [1]
  • Ukraine is working to compete with Russian fiber-optic drone capabilities [5]
  • There is a broader global context of drone swarm technology development [4]
  • A relevant but separate incident involves Ukraine claiming to have breached and wiped 2 petabytes of data from a Russian space center, though this claim is disputed by Russian authorities [6]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The statement appears to conflate several different aspects of Ukraine's technological capabilities and international relations:

  • It may be mixing up the claimed cyberattack on Russia (involving petabytes of data) with Ukraine's drone program development [6]
  • The statement oversimplifies the complex nature of Ukraine's technological partnerships, which primarily involve private companies rather than direct government-to-government transfers [1]
  • Potential beneficiaries of this narrative:
  • Military contractors and tech companies like Palantir could benefit from narratives about extensive technological cooperation
  • Russian interests might benefit from narratives suggesting Western rejection of Ukrainian cooperation
  • Ukrainian interests might benefit from appearing technologically advanced in drone warfare

The available evidence suggests that while Ukraine is actively developing drone technology and engaging in international tech partnerships, the specific claim about offering and being rejected by the US lacks substantiation in the provided sources.

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