Russia's foreign intelligence agency alleged that Mexican cartel members learned combat-drone techniques in Ukraine, casting the claimed transfer as a threat to U.S. counternarcotics officers near the Mexican border.
The Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said Oct. 20 that at least 80 people received drone instruction with Ukraine's armed forces. It alleged they learned to assemble and operate combat drones and claimed that proceeds from U.S. drug sales paid officials close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a separate allegation, the SVR said Ukraine's presidential office had learned that U.S. law enforcement obtained information about cartel contacts with representatives of Zelenskyy's administration.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Oct. 8 that authorities were examining social media videos referring to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and La Chapiza, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. She said investigators were checking whether the footage was authentic and how the people shown might have become involved in the war.
The Washington Post reported Sept. 22 that U.S. and Mexican officials were concerned about Colombian fighters returning from Ukraine with drone skills that could benefit Latin American drug-trafficking groups. Officials cited by the paper said cartels used money and coercion to recruit returnees. One U.S. official told the Post that the U.S. State and Justice departments had raised the issue with Ukrainian counterparts.
The Post also cited ACLED data showing that incidents of violence involving weaponized drones in Colombia rose from 38 in 2024 to 149 in 2025 and exceeded 200 by early September 2026. Reuters reported Oct. 5 that the U.S. Army was testing technology to counter drones near the Mexican border amid increased cartel use of the devices.
