Ukraine plans to develop air-to-air combat drones capable of shooting down kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov told the Associated Press that Russia’s use of attack drones might increase in February or March as the war approaches its first anniversary.
Moscow has reportedly suffered significant losses and may rely on continued drone strikes to capture more Ukrainian territory.
According to Fedorov, the country will move to produce attack UAVs that fly up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
“We are talking about drones, UAVs, UAVs that we are developing in Ukraine. Well, in any case, this will be the next step in the development of technologies,” he said.
Drone War
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine involves close-combat attacks, shelling, and sophisticated unmanned systems.
In October, several Russian-launched kamikaze drones likely purchased from Iran struck Kyiv, damaging residential buildings.
Iran has reportedly agreed to help Moscow manufacture its Shahed combat drones to attack Ukrainian forces.
“The United States — with allies and partners — is pursuing all means to expose, deter, and confront Iran’s provision of these munitions and Russia’s use of them against the Ukrainian people,” US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.
Just recently, an airfield in Russia’s Kursk was attacked by an unknown UAV, causing an oil storage tank to catch fire.