Come Back Alive Dronopad Costs Russia $1.39 Billion in Drones

The Come Back Alive Foundation’s Dronopad initiative has cost Russia an estimated Hr.62 billion ($1.39 billion) in destroyed drones since the project launched two years ago, the fund told Kyiv Post, as crews passed 53,000 downed Russian drones – half of that total in the past four months alone. The Come Back Alive Foundation is a non-governmental organization that has assisted Ukraine’s army since 2014.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The foundation bases the estimate on the average market value of the aircraft destroyed, crediting a unit with a kill whenever any Dronopad-supplied gear contributed to the interception, Come Back Alive told Kyiv Post. Every hryvnia donated to Dronopad, the fund said, converts into at least Hr.20 in losses for the enemy. In March 2025, it reported downing only “more than” 1000 Russian reconnaissance and strike drones within its “Dronefall” project with damages worth Hr.2.7 billion ($65 Million) to Russian forces. Of the drones downed, nearly 35,000 were tactical strike drones such as Molniya, Lancet, and Parodiya models, more than 8,500 were Shahed, Gerbera, or similar drone models, and over 8,000 were reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to the fund’s press release. In June 2026 alone, more than 21% of drones crossing Ukraine’s border were intercepted by Dronopad crews. “Dronopad helped build anti-drone lines along the line of combat contact and the state border. Solutions that were experimental at the start of the project are now scaled across more than 90 units,” the foundation’s post quoted Oleh Karpenko, Come Back Alive’s deputy director, as saying. Other Topics of Interest US Clears Path for 12 M270s, 70 ATACMS for Ukraine The US is prepared to authorize Turkey's transfer of 12 M270 launchers, 70 ATACMS missiles and thousands of cluster munitions to Ukraine. Come Back Alive launched Dronopad in August 2024 with a target of 1,000 downed drones, reached within months. In February 2026, the foundation set a yearly goal of 50,000 downed drones, with crews surpassing it by early August. More than 90 units now operate along the contact line and state border, receiving interceptor drones, transport, communications equipment, and training from the foundation – gear worth more than Hr.2.2 billion ($49.2 million) to date. Fuel retailer OKKO has backed Dronopad since March 2025, contributing over Hr.445 million ($9.9 million) through customer fuel purchases and donated loyalty points, the company wrote. Other partners include the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, Ukrgasvydobuvannya, Nova Poshta, the Avrora retail chain, and Atlas Festival, among others. Come Back Alive says its next priority is countering faster, jet-powered strike drones, which will require new interception tools and anti-drone lines extended deeper into Ukraine’s interior. Olena Hrazhdan is the Business Reporter at Kyiv Post, covering Ukraine’s markets, business, and economic policy. While she reports broadly on economic issues, her core focus is banking, finance, monetary and fiscal policy. Olena previously wrote for leading Ukrainian business media and became a Fellow of the International Monetary Fund’s Journalism Fellowship in 2024.