Russia’s Jet Drone Use Explodes 8-Fold Since June, Ukraine Says

Russia’s use of jet-powered drones has spiked eightfold within three months since June, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.The drones, powered by turbojet engines and with flight characteristics comparable to some cruise missiles, have created new challenges for Ukrainian air defense, as Kyiv has resorted to more expensive means, including Western F-16s and air-to-air missiles, to intercept them.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.On television on Wednesday, Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said that Russia has used around 7,700 of such drones since their initial deployments, with numbers rising in recent months.As reported by state media Ukrinform, the total number of jet-powered drones launched in June was 350, which rose to 1,500 in July and 2,850 in August.For September, about 1,900 have been detected thus far, a week before the month is over, as Russia also began launching the drones in non-stop waves in the same month as a new tactic that complicates Ukrainian air defense.Prototypes of the jet-powered drones were first seen in 2025, before systematic launches began in the summer of 2026.Ihnat said the spike suggests Russia has managed to evade sanctions and source foreign components needed to build the drones – partly contradicting recent intelligence reports suggesting Russia’s challenges in sourcing Chinese jet engines used to power the drones.“This suggests that the enemy is not stopping, that they are finding opportunities to purchase those jet engines, other components, and assemble them on Russian territory,” Ihnat said. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Strikes Russian Drone Command Posts, Rubicon Depot in the Donetsk, Luhansk Region The strikes followed a Sept. 21 attack on a Russian drone launch and storage site in Russia’s Oryol region. He added that about half of the Shahed-type drones flying over Ukraine are now jet-powered, echoing earlier warnings from former Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky in June.Kyiv has showcased various jet-powered interceptor drones as countermeasures, with earlier reports suggesting their effectiveness in downing jet-powered Shaheds. However, it’s unclear how many of those models went into serial production.On Wednesday morning, Kyiv came under an intense Russian bombardment as dozens of jet-powered drones slammed into buildings across the capital, with powerful explosions rocking the city center – including near the Kyiv Post office, as correspondents reported blasts mere blocks away. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.