Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham signed the agreement in Kyiv. It forms part of the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership and will initially focus on defence and national security.
Avengers AI Labs processes operational data gathered by thousands of daylight cameras and infrared sensors across Ukraine’s battlefield. The system records millions of objects, including tanks, artillery, air defence systems, infantry, Shahed drones and reconnaissance aircraft.
Engineers, academics, companies and military specialists from both countries will work through a joint AI cell. Britain will provide access to its universities, researchers and technology companies, while Ukraine will contribute operational experience and battlefield datasets.
“This groundbreaking partnership will bring together Ukraine’s unrivalled operational experience with Britain’s world-class AI ecosystem, giving us the opportunity to develop the technologies of the future, changing lives here in Britain and saving lives on the battlefield in Ukraine,” Burnham said. “By combining Ukrainian battlefield data with British expertise, we will accelerate the development of capabilities that not only strengthen our national security but better protect our critical infrastructure and growth in every postcode here at home.”
The partnership already includes pilot projects involving British start-ups Sintela, Mind Foundry and Skyral. The first technology is due to be deployed at a UK defence site to protect it from protesters and hostile actors seeking intelligence.
That project combines Ukrainian data with British technology to turn buried fibre-optic cables into an AI-enabled sensor network. The technology could later be used to protect airports, prisons, railways and energy facilities.
A second project will explore low-power AI chips for future drones, robotics and autonomous systems. If successful, the chips could allow such systems to operate for longer and respond more quickly in environments where conventional technology struggles.
“By combining the UK’s world-leading scientists, engineers and tech companies with Ukraine’s unique battlefield experience and data, we will strengthen both of our nations’ defence and security,” Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said. The agreement follows Britain’s decision to allow MBDA to release classified information on British components used in the SCALP long-range missile for planned assembly lines in Ukraine.
“By giving British start-ups, researchers and engineers access to insights from its Avengers AI platform, we are taking that partnership further and helping Britain develop the next generation of defence technology,” AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said. “This is AI sovereignty in practice: building our own capabilities and turning frontline experience into systems that protect our armed forces overseas and our critical infrastructure at home.”
