Russia becomes drone empire — attacks on Ukraine surge in a year

Russian forces have increased the number of kamikaze drones launched at Ukraine ninefold. The peak was recorded in the second week of July, when the Russian army released more than 2,000 drones.

These figures come from an analytical report by The New York Times.

How many drones did Russia launch over the year

The publication estimated that Russian forces launched over 34,000 attack drones and decoy UAVs at Ukraine this year — nearly nine times more than during the same period last year. These figures are based on data from the Ukrainian Air Force.

According to Ukrainian sources, 88% of all drones used by Russia in 2025 were shot down or neutralized using electronic warfare systems, compared to 93% during the same period in 2024, the NYT reports.

According to the chart published by the newspaper, the highest number of drones launched by Russian forces was recorded in July — over 2,000 units, marking a wartime record.

The most massive drone strike of the entire conflict occurred on the night of September 7. Ukrainian military sources reported that 810 attack and decoy UAVs were launched, about 92% were intercepted, but 63 drones managed to penetrate defenses.

"Russia made drone production a top priority, becoming a drone empire. Now its UAVs swarm the skies, even striking NATO territory," the publication reports.

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