Russia Sent 2,800 Jet-Powered Drones Against Ukraine in August as Colonel Takes Charge of Close Air Defence

Russia launched more than 2,800 jet-powered attack drones at Ukraine in August, according to Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Colonel Yurii Ihnat. The surge has accompanied a leadership change in the branch responsible for defending troops and critical facilities against short-range aerial threats.

Colonel Oleksandr Dmukhovskyi has recently been appointed commander of Ukraine's Close Air Defence. Ihnat said Dmukhovskyi previously led the 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile and Artillery Regiment, described as one of the country's strongest units and one with a particularly high record of shooting down enemy attack drones.

The scale of Russia's drone use has risen sharply. Ihnat said Russia launched around 350 jet-powered UAVs in June, 1,500 in July and more than 2,800 in August. “The statistics speak for themselves, the enemy is ramping up the production and numbers of jet-powered UAVs,” he said.

Ukraine is using all available assets and personnel to counter the attacks, including fighter aircraft, short- and medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems and electronic warfare. Mobile fire groups and crews operating anti-aircraft interceptor drones remain part of the integrated air defence system.

The Ukrainian defence industry and state leadership have also developed new ways to counter the jet-powered drones, Ihnat said. The Air Force will provide facilities to test them, particularly jet-powered interceptors. Close air defence must still contend with reconnaissance drones, Shahed-type drones with internal-combustion engines, Gerberas and Parodiyas. Ihnat said leadership changes are a normal wartime process and that experienced officers are being placed in higher positions.

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The statistics speak for themselves, the enemy is ramping up the production and numbers of jet-powered UAVs.