Jet-Powered Russian Drones Strike Ukraine Daily as Forces Repel 277 Assaults in Current Wars in the World
Russia is escalating its aerial campaign against Ukraine by launching jet-powered Geran drones daily throughout August, outpacing Ukrainian air defenses, while Ukrainian forces reported repelling 277 Russian assaults on the battlefield in the past day, with the highest intensity on the Pokrovsk front in current wars in the world. BBC Verify analysis shows Russia used its new jet-powered drones every day in August, with attacks growing from 350 in June to 2,800 in August, making interception more difficult due to speeds over 300 mph. [4]
Escalation in Russian Drone Attacks
BBC Verify analysis of Ukrainian Air Force data shows Russia fired its new rapid, jet-powered drones against Ukraine every day throughout August. [4] It marked the first time that daily attacks by Moscow's new upgraded Geran drones were recorded in Ukrainian Air Force data. [4] Ukraine's military recently told the BBC that jet-powered drone attacks grew from 350 in June to 1,600 in July and 2,800 in August. [4] In five of the nightly attacks in August, these drones outnumbered the older, slower models. [4] The upgraded munitions can cruise at more than 300 mph, significantly faster than older models and well beyond the top speed of Kyiv's interceptors. [4] The drones are powered by turbojet engines, some of which, according to Ukrainian military intelligence, are sourced from China. [4] On Wednesday the Moldovan government said a plane carrying Zelensky was delayed at Chisinau airport on Tuesday after a Russian drone reported to be jet-powered entered Moldovan airspace. [4]
Zelenskyy Plane Near Miss
The plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Oslo for the funeral of the king of Norway was nearly struck by a drone when taking off from Moldova on Tuesday. [5] Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday that the plane was almost hit by a drone as it was about to take off from Moldova. [5] Officials in Moldova made no comment on Stoere’s statement regarding Zelenskyy’s plane. [5] Arrivals and departures at Chisinau Airport were suspended for a time on Tuesday in connection with two Russian drones that entered Moldovan airspace. [5] Several flights bound for the capital landed at airports outside Moldova or were forced into holding patterns, according to data from Flightradar24. [5] One drone landed in a field, triggering a fire, while the second carried on into Romanian airspace. [5] Moldovan President Maia Sandu denounced the intrusions as a serious threat to people’s lives. [5]
Russian forces most frequently attack Ukrzaliznytsia trains in six Ukrainian oblasts. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Battlefield Clashes and Ukrainian Defenses
A total of 277 combat clashes have occurred on the battlefield over the past day. [3] Russian forces have been the most active on the Pokrovsk front, where Ukrainian defenders have repelled 44 Russian assaults. [3] On the North Slobozhanshchyna front and in the operational zone in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian defenders repelled two Russian assaults over the past day. [3] On the South Slobozhanshchyna front, Ukrainian units repelled 14 Russian attacks. [3] The Russian forces attempted to advance near Kozacha Lopan, Lyman and Starytsia, as well as towards Shyroke and Chuhunivka. [3] On the Kupiansk front, the Russians conducted three attacks near Petropavlivka and Novoosynove. [3] On the Lyman front, Russian attempts to break through the Ukrainian defences were repelled. [3] The Russians attacked five times near Lyman and Dibrova, as well as towards Novoselivka. [3] On the Sloviansk front, the Russians launched one assault towards Pyskunivka. [3] On the Kramatorsk front, the Russians forces attacked once towards the settlement of Fedorivka. [3] On the Kostiantynivka front, seven attacks were recorded. [3] The Pokrovsk front saw the highest number of assaults, with Ukrainian defenders repelling 44 attacks. [3] Over the past day, the Ukrainian defence forces' aircraft, missile forces and artillery struck one area where Russian personnel were concentrated, six artillery systems, two unmanned aerial vehicle command posts and one surface-to-air missile system. [3]
Attacks on Railway Infrastructure
Ukrzaliznytsia does not plan to cancel any long-distance trains because of Russian attacks, even as most services are currently running between one and nine hours late. [2] Russia most frequently attacks trains travelling to the following destinations: Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Odesa. [2] Ukrainska Pravda analysed data on 363 trains between 21 August and 9 September, as well as attacks on the railway between 1 July and 9 September. [2] Responding to a request from Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrzaliznytsia said it currently had no plans to cancel any long-distance trains because of the attacks. [2] The company's press service added that most services are running between one and nine hours behind schedule. [2] On peak days of attacks such as 27-28 August, the number of delayed services rose to 40-90 trains per day at the same time, while some trains on the Sumy route were delayed by 10 to 17 hours. [2] On the morning of 8 September, the Russians attacked a Kyiv-Sumy passenger train in Sumy Oblast, causing a fire and forcing 90 people to be evacuated. [2] It later emerged that the Russian forces had also attacked a Dnipro-Zaporizhzhia train. [2] Russian forces attacked a suburban diesel train in Sumy Oblast, injuring passengers. [2]
Estonian Aid in Drone Protection
Old fishing nets from Saaremaa are finding a new use in Ukraine, where they are being deployed as makeshift protection against Russian drones. [1] Sending used fishing nets to Ukraine is nothing new for Estonia, but initially the nets were made into camouflage netting. [1] Now they are also being used to help protect against drones. [1] Margus and Hillar, who help organize aid deliveries to Ukraine, said they've already transported several truckloads of nets donated by Saaremaa fishers. [1] Margus said the material goes directly to the front, where locals determine how best to use it. [1] The nets are used to block large openings that drones could otherwise fly through. [1] Hillar estimated that around 50 metric tons of fishing nets have already been sent to Ukraine over the past two years, with each trip carrying hundreds of kilograms of nets or more. [1] The deliveries also give old fishing gear from Estonia's largest island a new purpose. [1] Hillar said a traditional stick fish trap from the village of Koguva is also headed to Ukraine, after he cuts it apart so the material can be flattened. [1]
Ukrainian forces repel 277 Russian assaults in one day with 44 on Pokrovsk front. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Broader Context of Aerial and Ground Threats in Current Wars in the World
The growing use of jet-propelled and other varieties of drones prompted President Volodymyr Zelensky to condemn what he called an unfolding horror over the skies of Kyiv. [4] The reason for turning to jet-powered drones is that they are much faster than the previous generation and it makes it much more difficult for Ukraine to intercept them, said Dr Marina Miron, an expert on military technology at King's College London. [4] Earlier this year Ukraine showed relative success in countering Russian drones and was intercepting 94 percent of long-range drones, according to Zelensky. [4] But the speed of the newer drones has prompted the latest round in Kyiv and Moscow's arms race. [4] On 10 August, Ukraine's deputy head of military intelligence, Maj Gen Vadym Skibitskyi, said his forces needed new interceptor missiles capable of matching jet-drones' speed. [4] Four Ukrainian companies have reportedly started testing missiles that can shoot down the new Geran models, officials in Kyiv recently told reporters. [4] The country's new defence minister, Yevhenii Khmara, has tasked them with producing thousands of units as quickly as possible. [4] Russia also had an economic incentive to invest in the jet-powered drones. [4] The increased speed and manoeuvrability of these models means the line between them and more expensive cruise missiles has become blurred, said John Hardie of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. [4] The analyst organisation Conflict Armament Research emphasised that jet-drones are not yet as advanced as cruise missiles. [4] It said the munitions have a shorter attack range, carry much smaller warheads and are more susceptible to jamming systems. [4] Satellite images appear to show Moscow is redesigning key facilities dedicated to fighting the war in Ukraine to host jet-powered drones, with longer rails associated with the munitions visible at an entirely new base at Tsymbulova in the Oryol region. [4] Multiple launch sites appear to have been built at the facility, which is around 109 miles from the Ukrainian border. [4] Since the facility became operational, Tsymbulova appears to have become a key centre for Russian drone attacks. [4] Oryol region, where the Tsymbulova base is located, was not mentioned as a drone launch site in Air Force reports before September 2024, but by August 2026 it was named in almost every attack. [4] The proliferation of jet-powered drones comes as BBC Verify found that Russia is now striking Ukraine with complex attacks involving hundreds of drones and missiles about once a week. [4] The increase in the size of the strikes is being powered by Moscow's shift towards combining a greater variety of munitions including jet-powered and decoy drones with expensive ballistic missiles that are extremely difficult to intercept, analyst Michael Bohnert of the RAND think tank told BBC Verify. [4] Kyiv's data shows that Moscow is now using over 15 times as many drones per attack than it was four years ago. [4] Bohnert added that the tactically complicated nature of the assaults, coupled with a global shortage of air defence systems capable of halting ballistic missiles partly caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran, has led to falling interception rates by Ukraine. [4] Ukraine's Air Force data showed a drop in interceptions of ballistic missiles up to the end of July. [4] In August, Kyiv mostly stopped publishing the figures that would show its interception rate. [4] A total of 277 combat clashes have occurred on the battlefield over the past day with Ukrainian defenders repelling 44 Russian assaults on the Pokrovsk front. [3]
What to watch next: Ukraine's military recently told the BBC that jet-powered drone attacks grew from 350 in June to 1,600 in July and 2,800 in August, while satellite images appear to show Moscow is redesigning key facilities to host jet-powered drones at a new base in the Oryol region.
