Ubiquiti sued by Ukrainian families over claims its tech powered Russian battlefield drones

Ukrainian civilians and bereaved families have filed a lawsuit against Ubiquiti in a Manhattan federal court. Their claims allege that Ubiquiti's long-range wireless technology was a crucial component of Russia's drone campaign against civilians in Ukraine. Ubiquiti has not yet responded publicly to the allegations or commented on the matter.

The company has also not been charged by any US or EU authorities with sanctions or export-control violations related to Ukraine. The lawsuit asserts that Ubiquiti's wireless equipment became the backbone of the command network supporting Russia's drone attacks. The NYSE-listed company manufactures long-range wireless bridges, which are used to deliver internet access where cable connections are not available.

The plaintiffs claim that devices bypassing export controls reached Russian forces through intermediary supply chains, linking reconnaissance units, drone operators, strike units, and commanders across about 100 kilometers of the battlefield network. They also allege that Ubiquiti could have prevented the pipeline from reaching the Russian forces by implementing geofencing, terminating distributors involved in sanctions evasion, or incorporating a remote-disable feature into its firmware.

Scott Gilmore, lead counsel for the plaintiffs at DiCello Levitt, stated, "This case is about corporate accountability for enabling crimes against humanity." Despite the lawsuit, Ubiquiti has not conceded any wrongdoing and maintains that it lacks visibility into the location or scope of individual purchases made by network operators and service providers.

The case could potentially alter supply-chain accountability litigation for a company that did not directly sell its products to a sanctioned entity, especially amidst the controversy surrounding Nvidia AI chips reaching China despite export restrictions.