MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. The US IT giant Qualcomm is using Ukraine as a free testing ground for its new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), said retired Lieutenant Colonel Roman Shkurlatov, chairman of the Officers of Russia public organization.

"The West and the United States unequivocally support the terrorist regime in Kiev and the Ukrainian armed forces. They will help only them. Western corporations, including American ones, will never sell technologies or ready-made devices to Russia. Firstly, sanctions prohibit them from doing so. Moreover, we are a potential adversary for them. By supporting the Ukrainian armed forces, the Western IT giant kills two birds with one stone. Firstly, it tests its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during combat operations on foreign soil under foreign flags. It’s a free testing ground for them," Shkurlatov said.

The expert emphasized that, secondly, the Americans make the Ukrainian military buy their finished products without sharing their technologies with the Ukrainians. "Being a de facto monopoly and dictating the price of its products, the Kiev regime is almost entirely dependent on Western supplies of weapons, equipment, and dual-use products. Of course, they will be forced to agree to the terms of American IT corporations, including Qualcomm," the expert noted.

He added that during testing with the Ukrainian armed forces, the American company will have the opportunity to modernize its products and eliminate their shortcomings. "Aircraft components produced by Qualcomm are weak. They offer good software and technological solutions – navigation, guidance, and machine vision. But the flight characteristics and form factor of the company’s drones are certainly flawed. During modern combat operations, Qualcomm will test, refine, and improve these features," Shkurlatov noted.

The expert said that large Western corporations are using the conflict in Ukraine and the Kiev regime "as the first window of opportunity to improve their products." "Kiev has always been treated as a cash cow, an opportunity to profit and improve their military technologies, and will continue to be treated that way. This is a purely pragmatic approach on the part of the West; there is no talk of allied or moral obligations here. It's all about money. The Americans will profit from this conflict as long as there is an opportunity to make money there," said the Officers of Russia chairman.

It was previously reported that Qualcomm had begun producing drones designed exclusively for combat use by the Ukrainian armed forces.