Russia’s drone strike tactics now pierce Ukrainian defenses at triple the previous rate, FT reports. With new swarming methods and high-altitude maneuvers, Russia’s Shahed drones are overwhelming Ukraine’s air defenses across key cities.

Drone swarms adapt to bypass Ukraine’s defenses

According to official Ukrainian air force data cited by FT on 21 July, the proportion of Shahed drones hitting targets rose from 5% to 15% between January–March and April–June. This sharp rise reflects a shift in Russia’s drone strike tactics—not a decline in Ukraine’s capabilities.

Moscow has retooled its drone operations, modifying Iranian-designed Shaheds—now manufactured in Russia under the Geran designation—to fly faster and at higher altitudes. These adaptations make them harder to intercept by truck-mounted machine guns and standard mobile fire units typically used by Ukrainian forces.

Yasir Atalan of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told FT the improvement “is not [because] the Ukraine air defence is getting worse,” but due to Russia’s new swarming methods and drones flying “in higher altitude, [which] makes them more effective.”

Record-breaking drone and missile assaults

Ukraine’s Air Force reported yesterday that Russia launched 426 Shahed-type attack drones in a single wave. On 9 July, Russian forces fired a record 728 units—combining drones, decoys, and cruise and ballistic missiles—in a coordinated saturation strike.

FT notes that by overwhelming the defense layers with sheer volume, Russia raises the strike success rate. According to Atalan, the increased scale of launches “saturates the defense systems which increases the hit rate.”

Domestic production fuels Russia’s drone blitz

Russia’s ability to domestically produce Shaheds in large numbers has given it a logistical edge. The Geran-3 variant—equipped with a turbo engine and capable of diving at speeds up to 800km/h—has reportedly been used against Kyiv in recent weeks, FT reports.

Ukraine’s defenses include jamming drone GPS guidance systems using electronic warfare, as well as employing machine guns and advanced anti-aircraft systems like Germany’s Oerlikon Skynex. Despite this, the average hit rate for drones remains around 15%, FT says.

Ukraine ramps up interceptor drone efforts

In response, Ukraine has increased efforts to counter the Shahed threat with domestically developed interceptor drones. On 10 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were already “shooting down dozens of Shaheds” in each wave using these homegrown interceptors.

Earlier this month, Zelenskyy announced a partnership with Eric Schmidt, CEO of the US-based Swift Beat, to co-produce “hundreds of thousands” of drones for Ukraine’s defense, including those designed to intercept enemy drones.

Last week, Zelenskyy emphasized the success of these new systems, noting they “are achieving good results” and that “hundreds of Russian-Iranian Shaheds” had been destroyed in a single week.

In the early hours of 27 June, Russia launched a wide-scale aerial attack on Ukraine, deploying hundreds of drones and eight missiles that targeted several oblasts. Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept a significant number of the threats, though several cities still reported destruction and injuries.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched a total of 371 aerial weapons against Ukraine overnight, including 363 strike drones—Shahed explosive drones and decoy UAVs—two Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, and six Kalibr cruise missiles.

The Air Force says 217 of these threats were destroyed by air defense systems, including 211 Shahed drones and all six Kalibr missiles. An additional 148 drones were classified as “location lost,” likely suppressed by electronic warfare systems.

The Southern Ukraine Defense Forces reported the destruction of 22 Shahed drones overnight.

The Air Force’s data show that at least 4 Shaheds and both Kinzhals may have reached their intended targets.

Major aerial assault centered on Starokostyantyniv

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the primary focus of the Russian attack was Starokostyantyniv in Khmelnytskyi Oblast. This city is known to host a key Ukrainian air base and has been a frequent target of Russian strikes.

Suspilne noted that the attack began with reports at 01:06 of a Kinzhal missile moving toward the oblast. By 01:58, Shahed-type drones were en route. At 03:27, the Air Force confirmed a group of Shaheds near Starokostyantyniv, followed by additional drone movements at 03:35 and again at 07:17.

During two separate air alerts — from 01:00 to 05:52 and from 07:11 to 07:34 — explosions were heard across the oblast.

Zaporizhzhia hit by drones overnight

Zaporizhzhia was also attacked by at least six Russian drones. Local authorities, including Oblast Military Administration head Ivan Fedorov, reported that the assault damaged a factory and a garage cooperative, causing a fire in the city. No casualties were reported.

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast: injuries and damage from FPV drone strikes

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, regional administration head Serhii Lysak reported that FPV drones targeted the Nikopol area, including the Pokrov and Marhanets communities. Four civilians were injured and received medical assistance.

Infrastructure damage included a medical outpatient clinic, an administrative building, three apartment blocks, a market, a store, vehicles, and power lines. Air defenses in the oblast managed to shoot down two missiles and five drones during the night.

In a separate update, Lysak confirmed that the death toll from the 24 June missile attack on Dnipro has risen to 21.

Poltava Oblast struck by falling drone debris

Poltava Oblast experienced damage caused by drone wreckage as air defense systems engaged Russian aerial targets. The oblast’s administration reported that drone fragments damaged vehicles and the premises of a supermarket in Kremenchuk.

Later updates confirmed damage to a healthcare facility’s building and equipment. No casualties were reported.