Russia preparing new jet-powered drones for strikes on Ukraine, warns military officer

Latvian National Armed Forces major and National Guard staff officer Jānis Slaidiņš said on TV24's program "Aktuālais par karadarbību Ukrainā" that Russia could begin large-scale use of new drone systems against Ukraine within the next six months. According to him, these aircraft can reach speeds of up to 750 kilometers per hour and are essentially cheap cruise missiles.

Shift toward jet-powered drones

Slaidiņš noted that Russia has already significantly changed the type of drones it uses — more than 90% of drones deployed now are jet-powered rather than the previously dominant propeller-driven models. Publicly available data confirms that Russia's use of jet-powered "Geran" drones has risen sharply, from roughly 350 strikes in June to approximately 2,800 in August.

Greater challenge for air defense

Analysts explain that the new jet-powered drones are both faster and harder to intercept than earlier models. Slaidiņš emphasized that the main challenge is precisely the speed of these aircraft, as it reduces the time available for air defense systems to detect and destroy a target.

Ukraine's response and production scale

Ukraine is already developing new interceptors specifically designed to destroy jet-powered drones. In mid-September, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a new interceptor drone aimed at these Russian aircraft had been successfully tested. Slaidiņš also revealed that Russia has placed large orders for production of the new systems, with volumes comparable to earlier contracts for "Shahed"-type jet drones. He believes it is important for Ukraine to use the remaining time to develop suitable solutions for countering these fast unmanned aircraft before they are deployed more widely.