Could Russia really launch 1,000 Shahed UAVs daily? Zelenskyy comments
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
Russia is focusing on producing a large number of drones. For now, the aggressor country can launch up to 1,000 Shahed drones against Ukraine - but only if it stockpiles them for several days, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his conversation with journalists.
"They (Russians - ed.) are preparing for production so they can manufacture 300–350 drones per day. That is their real capacity. They have been tasked with reaching 500 per day. I don't believe they have achieved that yet. So I don't take the number 1,000 seriously - although we must understand that if they accumulate drones over several days, then yes, there could be such a day. It can't be ruled out," Zelenskyy said.
The President cited an example of a recent Ukrainian drone strike.
"We struck them with 400 small drones simultaneously. Over 40 units of equipment were destroyed at once. This was a purely military operation, executed exclusively on the battlefield. It was a test. And we will show them something many times greater than that. We can do it - and we succeeded," Zelenskyy explained.
Because of that, the Ukrainian President said, Russia is concentrating on building up drone numbers.
"We see and analyze what's happening. Today, our aircraft are shooting down drones. We understand how many drones Mirage jets and F-16s can intercept in one flight, and how many we can deploy in the air simultaneously. We're also making progress on drone-on-drone interceptors. We're already using them. The question now is how quickly we can scale up. We've reached the stage of drone interceptor technology. That was the issue with Shahed UAVs - they fly at altitudes where mobile fire groups can't reach. We found the answer in intercepting drones," Zelenskyy continued.
According to the President, Ukraine also needs to have 1,000 drones:
"By the way, we can already deploy 100 long-range drones, the complex types, per day. That shows the Russians will start to feel it, if our partners support us. We're very close to having 300–500 drones per day, just like the Russians. So it's no longer a question of manufacturing capability. The key is - we've achieved it. Now it’s a financial issue," the Ukrainian leader said.
Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine
Russia continues its constant strikes on Ukraine using both drones and missiles. On the night of May 28, Russia launched six missiles and 88 drones across Ukraine.
Earlier, Yurii Ihnat, Spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, warned that Russian drone attacks could increase in the near future.
In addition, on the night of May 26, Russia launched a record number of strike drones against Ukraine.
