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Russia has sharply increased its use of jet-powered drones as part of a change in its attack tactics against Ukraine. Over the course of one month, the number of such UAVs used increased fivefold, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said.
According to him, Russia is now launching significantly more drones that are harder to intercept and cannot be effectively countered with conventional air-defense systems.
Ukrainian forces currently destroy or neutralize around 88–90% of conventional drones, while the interception rate for jet-powered UAVs is lower.
Countering the new drones requires ground-based air-defense systems, specialized aviation platforms and fighter jets armed with air-to-air missiles, Ihnat said in an interview on Ukraine’s national telethon.
“In July, we had five times more jet-powered UAVs used than in June. That was the month when their use increased significantly, along with the Banderol drones,” Ihnat said.
Over the previous four days alone, Russia launched more than 1,500 drones at Ukraine, including around 800 jet-powered UAVs, according to the spokesman.
Russia adapts to Ukraine’s air defenses
Ihnat said the tactical shift is largely a response to Ukraine’s high interception rate against conventional drones powered by mechanical engines.
Analyst Agil Rustamzade of the STEM center estimates that Russia has increased its use of jet-powered drones by eight times — from around 180 units in 2025 to more than 1,400 since the beginning of 2026.
Ukraine’s military intelligence has said Russia reduced the overall intensity of drone attacks in July in order to redirect production toward newer Geran-4 and Geran-5 models.
Some subsequent Russian attacks have involved jet-powered drones accounting for around 50% of all UAVs launched.
At the same time, Major General Vadym Skibitskyi of Ukraine’s military intelligence said Russia’s dependence on Chinese turbojet engines is still slowing the expansion of production. Russian manufacturers are nevertheless working to develop domestic alternatives.
