Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Getty Images)

Ukraine remains on high alert as Russia steps up its use of the "Geran," a next-generation jet-propelled drone, in its latest wave of attacks.

According to the Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda on Wednesday (local time), Ukraine's air force said the number of jet-propelled drones launched by Russia has surged sharply. The figure climbed from 350 in June to 1,500 in July and 2,800 in August, Yonhap reported.

Ukrainian military authorities said the interception rate for the jet-propelled drones stands at around 60 percent.

That is roughly 30 percentage points lower than the interception rate for conventional drones, which stands at 90 percent.

In April, for instance, a jet-propelled drone breached Ukraine's air defenses and struck a building belonging to the Security Service of Ukraine, the country's intelligence agency, in the capital, Kyiv.

Russia's latest jet-propelled drones are reportedly fitted with small Chinese-made aircraft jet engines. They are said to be capable of flying at altitudes of 5 kilometers and speeds of 400 to 600 kilometers per hour. That is up to three times faster than earlier models. In terms of air defense, some assessments suggest the drones are closer to cruise missiles than to conventional drones.

Russia shifts from nighttime blitzes to round-the-clock strikes

Russia appears to be using the Geran to try to shift the momentum of the war.

According to an Aug. 31 (local time) report by the Wall Street Journal, Russia has combined jet-propelled drones with new tactics to intensify its attacks on Kyiv, Yonhap reported.

The Wall Street Journal said the emergence of the new drones is pushing the war in Ukraine into a new phase.

Over four years of war, Ukraine had drawn significant benefit from drone warfare, but analysts now say Russia's new drones are eroding Ukraine's air defenses.

Ukraine is racing to develop upgraded drones in an effort to push its interception rate above 90 percent. But it is struggling against Russian attacks that now also employ ballistic missiles alongside the new drones.

Russia has also shifted from concentrating its strikes mainly at night to launching sporadic attacks around the clock.

On Aug. 28, a new-model drone struck a warehouse facility on the outskirts of Kyiv, killing 38 people and injuring dozens more.


yul@heraldcorp.com