Russia has begun firing its upgraded Geran jet‑powered drones every day throughout August, a first for the conflict according to Ukrainian Air Force data.
The jet‑driven drones, capable of over 300 mph, have outpaced Kyiv’s interceptors, forcing the city’s defenders to scramble new tactics. Ukrainian military intelligence noted a dramatic jump— from 350 attacks in June to 2,800 in August— with the faster drones dominating five of the nightly sorties.
President Volodymyr Zelensky branded the wave of attacks a “horror” over the skies of Kyiv. He cited a September 1 incident that killed 12 people and injured 20 others, six of them railway workers after a depot was hit.
In response, Kyiv’s Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara tasked private firms to develop “thousands of units” of new interceptor missiles that can match the jet drones’ speed. Croatian and Canadian designs are already in trials, with delivery aimed for later this year.
Experts say the upgraded munitions blur the boundary between drones and low‑end cruise missiles. John Hardie of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted that the more capability a drone gains, the less distinct it becomes from a cheaper missile. Still, analysts at Conflict Armament Research argue that jet drones have shorter ranges, smaller warheads and are more vulnerable to jamming.
Satellite images have revealed a new launch complex at Tsymbulova in Russia’s Oryol region, 175 km from the Ukrainian border. The site’s longer rails support the jet‑powered drones, turning the facility into a key launch point— previously invisible on Ukrainian Air Force reports— for recent attacks.
BBC Verify’s analysis shows Russia now strikes Ukraine with “hundreds of drones and missiles” in a single attack, up 15‑fold from four years ago. The combination of jet drones, decoy systems, and ballistic missiles makes the assaults hard to intercept, especially amid a global shortage of effective air‑defence systems.
Debris from Geran jet‑powered drone engines has become a common sight in Kyiv – Getty Images
