Where there is war, there is also Palantir, the most controversial California data mining company founded by Peter Thiel.
After the first meeting in June 2022, four months after Moscow’s large-scale invasion, Palantir CEO Alex Karp returned to Ukraine where he once again met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov also confirmed, in a separate statement, that he met with Karp. According to Fedorov, the two parties discussed how to expand the partnership started in 2022, while Kyiv develops new AI-based tools for war data analysis and interception of Russian drones. At the heart of the cooperation is the “Brave1 Dataroom” project, which aims to leverage information collected since the start of the 2022 Russian invasion.
Founded in 2003 and listed on Nasdaq, Palantir Technologies boasts deep ties with U.S. intelligence and military agencies, on Israel’s side in the war against Hamas. Recently, the company has been in the spotlight for its Maven Smart System, a digital command and control platform that the U.S. armed forces use for real-time target identification and prioritization to support combat operations in Iran and Venezuela. U.S. President Donald Trump praised the company’s “war capabilities and equipment.”
All the details.
THE MEETING BETWEEN ZELENSKY AND KARP
On Tuesday, President Zelensky announced that he met with Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies, as part of talks dedicated to Ukraine’s technological and military development. According to the Ukrainian leader, the discussions covered various areas of cooperation, both related to combat operations and the country’s civilian needs.
A good meeting with the CEO of Palantir Technologies, Alex Karp. Step by step, we are developing cooperation with the American defense sector. Palantir is a renowned global company with strong potential, and there certainly are areas where we can be useful to one another,… pic.twitter.com/glMXHoXbfI
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 12, 2026
THE BRAVE1 DATAROOM PROJECT
The collaboration between Kyiv and Palantir revolves around the “Brave1 Dataroom” project, an initiative launched to develop artificial intelligence systems using data collected on the battlefield since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
The main goal of the program is to facilitate the detection and interception of Russian drones through AI models trained on operational data accumulated over the recent years of war.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who promised a deep restructuring of the army based on data at the time of his appointment in January, emphasized the growing role of digital technologies in the conflict.
“Today technology, AI, data analysis, and applied mathematics to war have a direct impact on the outcome of the battlefield,” Fedorov stated on Telegram after the meeting with Karp.
“During the meeting, we showed the Palantir team how Ukraine protects its skies, repels the enemy on the front line, and strikes the Russian economy,” the Ukrainian minister further explained. “Our goal is to deepen our partnership with Palantir on artificial intelligence solutions and defense technology projects that provide Ukraine with a technological advantage.”
AI APPLIED TO UKRAINIAN DEFENSE
According to Fedorov, more than 100 companies are currently training over 80 models aimed at detecting and intercepting aerial targets.
The minister also explained that, thanks to the collaboration with Palantir, Ukraine has developed a system for detailed analysis of air attacks, implemented artificial intelligence solutions for managing large volumes of intelligence data, and integrated these technologies into the planning of deep strike operations.
The initiative is part of Kyiv’s strategy to increase the use of AI and advanced data analysis to improve the operational capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces in the conflict with Russia.
