Ukraine and Russia Have Entered a New Phase of the Drone War — The Kyiv Independent
On August 22, The Kyiv Independent reported on a new round of drone warfare between Ukraine and Russia. Russia is ramping up its use of jet-powered attack drones, prompting Ukraine to accelerate the development of new means to intercept them.
As noted by The Kyiv Independent, this new phase of the air war is particularly noticeable in Kyiv. Following a large-scale Russian attack on the night of August 20, which claimed the lives of 15 people, the capital was again struck by drones during the day. The author attributes this to Russia’s increasingly active use of jet-powered versions of the Shahed.
According to Yuriy Ignat, head of communications for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, the number of such drones is growing rapidly. “In July, there were five times as many as in June,” he told The Kyiv Independent.
He noted that jet-powered drones sometimes account for up to two-thirds of all drones launched in a 24-hour period.
Previously, Ukraine had achieved significant results in combating the slower, piston-engine-powered Shahed drones. The Ukrainian military began using FPV interceptor drones on a large scale, transforming relatively inexpensive civilian drones into an effective component of air defense. One such interceptor, the Wild Hornets Sting, costs about $2,300.
According to Kyle Glenn, a researcher at the Center for Information Resilience, Russia rapidly increased the number of launches of conventional “Shaheds.” The peak occurred in May 2026, when Russia launched nearly 7,500 drones in a single month. Despite the scale of the attack, Ukrainian interception systems were able to shoot down about 95% of the piston-powered Shaheds.
However, as the author of the article explains, the emergence of faster jet-powered models is changing the situation. While a conventional “Shahed” can reach speeds of approximately 185 km/h, its jet-powered variants, the “Geran-4” and “Geran-5,” are capable of flying at speeds of about 500 and 600 km/h, respectively. This makes them much more difficult to destroy using FPV interceptors and mobile fire teams.
Ukrainian intelligence estimates that Russia is producing approximately 3,000 jet-powered drones per month. In August, according to estimates by the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), the production of jet-powered strike drones had already surpassed that of piston-engine versions. At the same time, due to the greater complexity and cost of the new drones, the total number of Russian drone launches has decreased in recent months.
At the same time, Ukraine is working to adapt its own interception system. One unnamed engineer working on the program told the publication that Ukrainian developers had begun increasing the speed of existing interceptors in advance. According to him, prototypes capable of catching up with jet-powered targets already exist.
He also noted that the new interceptors should not be significantly more expensive than the models already in mass production.
The development of indigenous jet interceptors has become a separate initiative. On August 14, former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced tests of vehicles capable of reaching speeds of up to 600 km/h. And on August 21, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense announced the official entry into service of the first Ukrainian jet interceptor, the Alexa Spatium.
As the publication notes, this aircraft can reach high speeds and, if it fails to hit its target, can be reused. In addition to combating drones, the interceptor is capable of attacking ground targets and helicopters.
Overnight, Russian drones attacked a shopping center in the Central District of Kherson. After the strike, a massive fire broke out, engulfing nearly the entire shopping center. The building and the property inside were virtually burned to the ground.
Over the past 24 hours, Russian troops attacked populated areas in the Zaporizhzhia region 539 times. Three people were killed as a result of the Russian strikes, and another 19 residents of the region were wounded.
Since the evening, Russian troops have attacked the Dnipropetrovsk region nearly 30 times. Three districts of the region came under attack, with the occupiers using drones and artillery. The attacks damaged houses, cars, and outbuildings, and fires broke out in several locations.
