Occupiers have stockpiled 2,000 drones for deep strikes on Ukraine – Flash
Radio technology expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov has reported a significant buildup of Russian strike unmanned aerial vehicles ahead of the winter period. According to his data, the enemy’s current operational stock amounts to about 2,000 UAVs, of which approximately 1,400 are Shahed-type kamikaze drones. This figure reflects the number available for immediate use and does not include strategic reserve stockpiles.
Flash wrote about this on Telegram.
The expert outlines two main scenarios for how Russia could use this resource in the coming months:
Concentrated strikes: The accumulated number makes it possible to carry out 2–3 extremely powerful mass attacks aimed at completely exhausting air defense systems and destroying critical infrastructure.
Sustained terror: Distributing the drones for daily, lower-intensity attacks, which would maintain constant pressure throughout the winter and continuously test Ukraine’s defenses.
Serhii Beskrestnov also recalled the historical maximum use of drones. On the night of September 7, 2025, Russia carried out the largest air attack of the entire war, launching 818 targets (missiles and UAVs). At that time, air defense forces managed to neutralize more than 750 enemy objects. This example demonstrates the enemy’s potential capability to launch hundreds of drones simultaneously, posing extremely difficult challenges for defenders of the Ukrainian sky.
Despite the significant buildup, it should be taken into account that Russia’s production capacity as of the end of 2025 is estimated at about 2,700 Shahed units per month; however, a substantial portion of them are decoy targets (such as the Gerbera type), designed to detect air defense positions and divert attention.
OSINT researcher Cyrus notes that the interception effectiveness against Shahed-type kamikaze drones has currently stabilized at approximately 80%.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces have destroyed a Shahed drone storage facility in temporarily occupied Donetsk.
