Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh says Ukraine has adapted its war strategy as deep-strike drone use expands

Fire Point chief executive Iryna Terekh said Ukraine has “learned the hard way” that military leverage is a prerequisite for diplomacy, as the country continues to rely on drone systems capable of reaching targets at distance. Speaking in a CNBC Politics interview published Aug. 8, Terekh framed drones as part of a broader effort to change the balance of pressure during the Ukraine-Russia war, including in areas where Ukraine seeks to complicate Russian operations.

According to the CNBC report, Fire Point is a startup behind drone capabilities described as enabling deep-strike missions. Terekh told the outlet that Ukraine’s experience with early phases of the conflict showed that leverage matters when negotiations are on the table, and that gaining military effect through new systems has helped Ukraine pursue diplomatic aims.

The interview also emphasized the operational feedback loop between battlefield requirements and product development. Terekh described how teams at Fire Point and within Ukraine’s defense ecosystem adjust to what works under real conditions, including the need for systems that can be deployed in demanding environments and used effectively by operators facing an adversary that also adapts.

Terekh’s remarks highlighted the role of endurance and reach in modern unmanned warfare, the report said, with Ukraine seeking tools that can extend the scale and persistence of strikes. The CNBC story described deep-strike drone use as part of Ukraine’s effort to project effects beyond immediate front lines, aiming to reduce the relative freedom of action available to Russian forces.

The CNBC report further said Fire Point’s leadership views the integration of drones into military operations as a hard, iterative process rather than a one-time procurement decision. Terekh tied that approach to the broader strategic goal of increasing military effectiveness in ways that can influence both the operational environment and the negotiating context.

Within that framing, the interview portrayed diplomacy as dependent on demonstrated battlefield outcomes rather than statements alone. Terekh’s comment that Ukraine has “learned the hard way” reflected her view that early assumptions about leverage were tested by the conflict’s trajectory, and that Ukraine has adjusted accordingly through technology and tactics.

The CNBC interview did not cite specific procurement contracts, delivery quantities, or formal government decisions in the portion of reporting summarized in the packet provided for this write-up. No information in the supplied material identified detailed design specifications or classified targeting processes, and any such details would require additional primary reporting or official documentation for verification.