Last night, Russian forces used not only missiles and standard kamikaze drones (Shaheds) but also eight new jet-powered drones in attacks across Ukraine. According to Ukraine’s Air Forces, these drones can exceed speeds of 500 km/h, making them difficult to shoot down using traditional means such as mobile group machine guns.
The massive attack resulted in approximately 140 injuries and eight deaths in Kyiv, with more than 10 children—one just five months old—among the wounded. Experts caution that final numbers for the new drones are still being investigated as debris is collected and analyzed, and this number may change as more information emerges.
This new type of drone presents a serious challenge to Ukraine’s air defense. While traditional Russian drones travel at 180–200 km/h and cruise missiles at up to 900 km/h, these new jet-powered drones occupy a speed niche in between, making interception more complex. Mobile response teams play an important role in shooting down slow, low-flying drones, but faster targets require more advanced measures: lightweight missiles and drone interceptors, which remain in limited supply.
Another key problem is effective target acquisition: efficient use of drone interceptors depends on a modern radar network capable of providing real-time target trajectories. Russian forces are also improving and scaling domestic drone technology, including their own growing use of drone interceptors.
Ukraine remains heavily reliant on Western support to bolster its air defense and increase access to advanced technologies. Shortages of interceptor missiles and the slow pace of technological upgrades create ongoing risks. Russia continues to adapt, deploying mass numbers of drones and adjusting tactics according to Ukraine’s countermeasures, maintaining the initiative in aerial warfare.
The race for drone production and technology remains at a critical stage. Ukraine is intensifying its international outreach for defense support, but the emerging threats underline that air superiority will remain hotly contested.
