They set out believing Russian aggression didn’t exist. Then they saw missiles and mass graves. Three Czech conspiracy theorists who had publicly questioned the scale and even the existence of Russia’s war traveled to Ukraine as part of a documentary project, according to Gromada.cz. 

What began as a skeptical “fact-finding mission” became a confrontation with a reality they could no longer deny. The resulting film, Velký vlastenecký výlet or The Great ‘Patriotic’ Trip, will premiere on 21 August.

The participants, two men and one woman, had openly supported the Kremlin’s position, calling the invasion a “special operation,” spreading disinformation about a media conspiracy, disputing casualty numbers, and blaming everything from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to liberals and even the EU’s Green Deal.

They responded to an open call by Czech director Robin Kvapil themselves, who used social media to invite skeptics to witness the war firsthand. The film crew accompanied them from Prague to Kharkiv and Donbas, capturing their raw reactions as they came under missile fire, met wounded civilians, visited mass graves, and descended into underground schools in metro stations where children study amid constant danger.

Kvapil said one of the defining moments came when they arrived at the site of a children’s oncology hospital in Kyiv just hours after a Russian missile had struck it. This scene further solidified his intent to confront denial with unfiltered truth.

The team also included security analyst Petr Pojman, psychiatrist Petr Piot, and interpreter Lucie Řehořiková, former head of the Czech Centre in Kyiv, to ensure security and mental support. The production was coordinated with the Czech Interior Ministry and Ukraine’s Security Service.

Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Ukraine using an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 400 drones of various types, targeting primarily Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv, and Vinnytsia, according to Ukraine’s Air Force Command.

Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 198 Russian drones and suppressed an additional 145 decoy drones, the Air Force reported. One ballistic missile and 57 drones struck targets in 12 locations, with debris from intercepted drones falling in two additional areas.

The attack originated from multiple Russian positions including Shatalovo, Bryansk, Kursk, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, as well as Chauda in occupied Crimea. 

The Russian military regularly attacks Ukrainian oblasts with various types of weapons. Russia’s leadership denies that the Russian army has been conducting targeted attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Ukrainian cities and villages, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy and water supply facilities.

Vinnytsia bears heavy casualties

Vinnytsia suffered the most significant impact, with strikes against industrial and civilian infrastructure. About eight people are injured, Nataliia Zabolotna, deputy head of the Vinnytsia Regional Military Administration, said.

The attack damaged industrial facilities, with firefighters successfully containing a blaze at one site while continuing operations at another. Four residential buildings in the Vinnytsia Oblast sustained damage, with one house receiving substantial destruction.

“In total, Vinnytsia Oblast was attacked by 28 UAVs today, of which approximately 18 targets were destroyed,” Zabolotna said.

Kryvyi Rih industrial facility destroyed

Kryvyi Rih faced a combined assault involving both the ballistic missile and 28 kamikaze drones, resulting in the destruction of an industrial enterprise and widespread power outages. A 17-year-old boy suffered severe abdominal injuries in the attack, Governor Serhii Lysak said.

Kharkiv enterprise targeted

In Kharkiv, Russian drones struck a civilian enterprise in the Kyiv district, causing a large-scale fire and injuring three people, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. The attack also resulted in a fire at an apartment building in Kramatorsk.

Russian forces injured five people, including a 14-year-old girl in its attacks on Sumy and Donetsk oblasts overnight on 15 July, according to regional authorities.

The Russian military regularly attacks Ukrainian oblasts with various types of weapons. Russia’s leadership denies that the Russian army has been conducting targeted attacks on the civilian infrastructure of Ukrainian cities and villages, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy and water supply facilities.

Russian forces launched multiple missile strikes against the Shostka community in Sumy Oblast during the night of 15 July, according to Sumy Oblast Military Administration head Oleh Hryhorov.

Around 1:00 am, Russian three missile strikes on Shostka in Sumy Oblast targeted a medical facility, which caught fire following the attack, the State Emergency Service reported.

The strike injured a 14-year-old girl who sustained glass fragment wounds while running to shelter. The child was hospitalized and is receiving necessary medical care, according to regional authorities.

“The enemy (Russian army) deliberately targets civilian infrastructure. Peaceful residents and children suffer,” Hryhorov said.

Beyond the hospital, the attack damaged several multi-story buildings, private houses, and non-residential premises.

The July 15 attack follows a pattern of recent Russian strikes on the Shostka community. On the evening of 12 July, Russian forces hit the area with drones, sparking fires in non-residential buildings. Earlier that day, a Russian guided aerial bomb strike killed two residents of a village in the Sumy Oblast.

In Donetsk Oblast, Russian forces struck Rodynske with Smerch multiple rocket launcher systems at 00:30 on 15 July, injuring four civilians in residential areas.

Two men aged 37 and 53, along with women aged 54 and 69, were hospitalized with blast injuries, closed rib fractures, shrapnel wounds, lacerations, multiple abrasions, and concussion, according to regional authorities.

The attack also damaged apartment buildings and outbuildings.

Across Ukrainian oblasts, Russian forces killed at least five people and injured at least 53, including four children, over the past day, according to regional authorities.

Donetsk Oblast saw the heaviest casualties, with two civilians killed in Kostiantynivka and Myrnohrad, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. Nine others were injured across the region, including four in Rodynske, three in Pokrovsk, and two in Hannivka.

In Sumy city, 12 people were injured, including a 14-year-old girl. Three Russian drones “deliberately targeted” a university, injuring five staff members and a 19-year-old student, according to authorities.

Kherson Oblast recorded two deaths and 18 wounded, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a 63-year-old woman was injured in the Nikopol district, while drone strikes on Dnipro damaged a high-rise building, six houses, and a school, Governor Serhii Lysak said.

Two people were injured in Zaporizhzhia Oblast‘s Polohy district, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov.

In Kharkiv Oblast, a 57-year-old woman died and nine people were injured, including two children, during attacks on Kharkiv city and nine other settlements, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

On July 14, Russian attacks killed six people and injured 30 others across Ukraine.

Russian forces launched 136 Shahed-type strike drones and decoy drones from multiple directions overnight. Air defense units shot down 61 drones across northern, eastern, and central oblasts, while 47 decoy drones were lost or suppressed by electronic warfare systems.

Russia’s weaker but destructive drone attack injured at least 27 civilians overnight as strikes hit Odesa, Kharkiv, Chuhuiv, and other cities overnight and in the morning of 11 July, local authorities reported. A separate Russian artillery attack on a medical facility injured at least three more people in Kherson Oblast.

Drones launched from three directions

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 79 drones, including Shahed explosive one-way attack drones and decoys, from Kursk, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.

Air defenses reportedly shot down 44 drones, and 16 more were suppressed by electronic warfare and disappeared from radars. Nineteen reached their targets across at least eight locations. Debris also fell in three other areas, the report says.

Kharkiv: maternity ward and residential areas hit

In Kharkiv, three explosions occurred around 05:25. According to the Emergency Service, at least 11 people were injured. A dental clinic was hit, and 17 buildings were damaged, with around 200 windows shattered.

One Russian drone strike hit a maternity hospital, forcing staff to evacuate seven patients, three children, and 13 personnel. Medical director Oleksandr Kondratskyi told Suspilne everyone inside experienced severe stress. The blast shattered windows and doors, dislodged ceiling lights, and damaged medical equipment. Staff canceled a scheduled operation due to the destruction.

Chuhuiv: hospital, homes, and factory struck

In Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, explosions shook the city around 01:20. The blasts injured four people, including a 65-year-old woman. Drones destroyed two detached houses, damaged several others nearby, and heavily damaged the city hospital.

Mayor Halyna Minayeva confirmed further drone impacts on private households in another district. Six drones also struck an industrial site, causing a fire, according to Oblast head Oleh Syniehubov.

Odesa: injured civilians and dead horse after drone hits stable

In Odesa, authorities issued an air alert at 09:19. Five explosions rocked the city as drones struck residential buildings, administrative facilities, and a stable. Local officials reported that 11 civilians were injured.

A drone strike on the stable killed a mare named Kameliia and wounded another horse. At the time of the attack, five horses and four ponies were inside the building.

Sumy: woman wounded, land contaminated

Russian drones struck Sumy early in the morning, the regional authorities reported. One drone injured a 62-year-old woman while she stood in her yard; medics are currently treating her. The blasts damaged non-residential buildings on the outskirts of the city. Environmental officials reported that debris from the attack contaminated 1,190 square meters of land.

Kherson Oblast: artillery hits medical site

In Bilozerka, Russian artillery struck a medical facility, wounding three people: a 40-year-old male patient with leg injuries, a nurse born in 1978 with wounds to her legs, head, and arms, and a driver born in 1976 with hand injuries. All are receiving medical care.

Mykolaiv: explosions and fire, no casualties

Explosions were heard in Mykolaiv after 01:30 during an air raid alert. Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych and regional head Vitalii Kim confirmed multiple blasts and a fire on the city’s outskirts. No injuries were reported.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that over the past week, Russia launched around 1,270 attack drones, 39 missiles, and nearly 1,000 guided aerial bombs. He shared the update on 7 July, emphasizing the ongoing threat to civilians and the need for air defense.

According to Zelenskyy, Russia launched 101 drones overnight on 7 July alone. Most were Iranian-designed Shaheds—long-range explosive drones. The drones targeted multiple oblasts, and air raid alerts resumed in the morning across several cities.

Zelenskyy calls for air defense and expands drone production

Zelenskyy said Ukraine depends on its partners to fulfill air defense agreements.

“Air defense is key to protecting life,” he noted.

He also confirmed that Ukraine is actively advancing its own weapons production, including all types of drones. Interceptor drones were described as a key priority.

“We are contracting at maximum capacity,” he said.

Updates on last night’s Russian drone strikes

As we reported earlier, in Kharkiv alone, Russian attacks injured 27 people, including three children. A three-year-old girl was among the injured. Three individuals required hospitalization.

Read our morning report:

Drone flames in Kharkiv, missile blasts in Chuhuiv, shell in Kherson—Russia kills 13, injures 67

Russia attacked Kharkiv twice on the morning of 7 July. The first strike occurred at 05:20 and injured 29 people, including children aged 3, 7, and 11.

A second wave of Russian drone strikes followed at 10:22, hitting the Holodnohirskyi district. Residential houses, outbuildings, and transport infrastructure were destroyed. Eleven more people were reported injured in the second attack.

In Zaporizhzhia, at least 11 people were injured during the Russian drone strikes. The drones hit Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic University, damaging dormitories, apartment buildings, detached houses, and non-residential infrastructure.

According to the Ukrainian Ground Forces, military draft offices in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia were also hit during the 7 July drone attacks. Several military personnel sustained injuries.

Russia kills 13, injures 67 in Ukraine as its forces launched sweeping air and ground attacks on civilian areas across at least nine oblasts overnight, according to reports from local administrations. Drones, missiles, artillery, and guided bombs hit cities, villages, homes, schools, farms, and shops—leaving behind a trail of dead, injured, and destroyed infrastructure.

Kharkiv: Explosive drones hit homes and schools, injure 27, other attacks injure five others

In Kharkiv, Russian drones struck the Shevchenkivskyi and Slobidskyi districts around 05:30 on 7 July, hitting high-rise buildings, schools, and a kindergarten. As of 07:50, 27 civilians were confirmed injured, including three children aged 3, 7, and 11, according to Kharkiv Oblast head Oleh Syniehubov and city mayor Ihor Terekhov. An eighth-floor apartment caught fire. A shop and other civilian buildings also suffered significant damage. Syniehubov said Russia used four Shahed explosive drones in the attack.

The broader regional figure includes three civilians injured in Kupiansk—a 73-year-old woman, a 67-year-old woman, and a 56-year-old man. In the village of Ternova, part of Lypetska community, an explosion from an unknown device injured two men aged 68 and 75.

Additionally, Suspilne reported two explosions this morning in the Chuhuiv community, Kharkiv Oblast. Syniehubov later confirmed that two Russian missile strikes hit the area, damaging civilian infrastructure. The full extent of damage was still being assessed.

Odesa: One killed in nighttime strike

In Odesa, a Russian Shahed drone attack killed one person and damaged garages, a car service building, and vehicles, according to regional authorities. 

Donetsk Oblast: Seven civilians killed in one day

According to Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, Russian forces killed seven civilians on 6 July—four in Kostiantynivka, two in Druzhkivka, and one in Novohryhorivka. Another 15 people were wounded in the oblast the same day.

Kherson: Drone kills driver, previous attacks kill two other civilians

The Kherson Oblast Military Administration says that between 06:00 on 6 July and 06:00 on 7 July, Russian aggression killed 2 civilians and injured 9 others across the oblast. 

Later this morning, Russian forces launched new attacks, killing another civilian and injuring two more.

A Russian drone strike hit a tractor near Beryslav, killing the driver on the spot, the regional prosecutor’s office said. In a separate artillery attack on a residential house in Nadezhdivka, Bilozerska community, a 19-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman were wounded. According to the Oblast Military Administration, both sustained explosive injuries and contusions; the man also suffered shrapnel wounds to the back and leg.

Sumy: FPV drones kill two

The Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported that nearly 90 Russian strikes hit 38 settlements between 6 and 7 July. In Sumy community, two civilians were killed and one injured in Russian FPV drone strikes. Another person was injured in Khotinska community.

The attacks reportedly included 30 VOG munition drops from drones, 20 KAB bomb strikes, and missile attacks.

Dnipro: Five wounded, school set ablaze

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast head Serhii Lysak said five civilians were injured overnight. In Nikopol and Marhanets communities, Russia’s artillery and drone attacks injured a 66-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man. Two one-family homes were damaged, and a fire broke out in a preparatory school. In Malomykhailivska community, three more civilians—a woman and two men—were injured, and fires were reported in homes and a dining hall.

Zaporizhzhia: Hundreds of drone and artillery strikes

The Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration reported that Russian forces used 378 drones—mostly FPV—to attack multiple towns, including Huliaipole, Kamyanske, and Mala Tokmachka.

Two civilians were injured in Vasylivskyi and Polohy districts. The oblast also saw six airstrikes, 152 artillery attacks, and MLRS fire.

Read the follow-up:

Russia floods Ukraine with 1,270 drones and nearly 1,000 bombs in a week—“We need air defense now,” Zelenskyy says

Ukraine has spent nearly €1 billion on fortifications over the past year to halt Russian advances. But as Moscow’s forces capture ground at their fastest pace in months, serious concerns are mounting over whether the investment is delivering results where it’s needed most, Politico reports.

A shift in strategy to match Russian tactics

Facing a change in Russian tactics — smaller assault units backed by drones — Ukraine is rethinking how it fortifies its defenses. Instead of long, linear trench systems, the military is now building compact, concealed strongpoints better suited for modern warfare.

“The most effective position is a maximum of one detachment,” said Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

He describes how smaller trench groups and foxholes with anti-drone protection have replaced sprawling 2–5 km lines. These newer positions are typically 60–70 meters long and designed to avoid detection by surveillance drones.

Defense Minister Rustem Umerov called the new system “an adaptive engineering approach” that considers enemy tactics and focuses on protecting soldiers.

€1 billion spent — but uneven results

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced earlier this year that the government allocated 46.2 billion hryvnia (€930 million) to build 3,000 defensive points, including in areas not yet under active assault.

Despite that investment, Ukrainian analysts and frontline troops say implementation is inconsistent and often delayed. In Dnipro, local governments and military units worked in sync to build three solid lines of defense. But in critical regions like Sumy and Kharkiv, the situation remains chaotic.

“What is happening in Sumy and Kharkiv Oblasts is a mess,” said Roman Pohorilyi, co-founder of OSINT group DeepState. “Hardly anybody knows who is responsible for what.”

He cited examples of poorly placed trenches, unused dragon’s teeth, and incomplete barriers.

Troops still digging under fire

Even with the €1 billion spend, much of the dangerous work is still being done manually by frontline troops. “Ukrainian servicemen still have to dig the first line of trenches with shovels and during active fighting,” Syrskyi acknowledged.

And without enough personnel, even the best-designed fortifications are ineffective.

“If there are no servicemen in the fortification or their number is insufficient… it does not play its role,” Syrskyi said.

Delays that cost the front

Ukrainian forces operating in Russia’s Kursk Oblast say they bought time for defenses to be built in Sumy — but that time wasn’t used effectively.

“We gave time to prepare the border area… but they hardly used it with 100 percent efficiency,” said soldier Artem Kariakin.

Key infrastructure, such as anti-drone nets, was installed only in January, after months of drone attacks. Fortifications were constructed after Ukrainian troops began retreating, rendering many of them strategically obsolete.

Russia exploiting gaps as it advances

Russian forces are probing Ukraine’s lines for weak spots and concentrating their attacks where defenses are thin.

“Russians push everywhere, probe for weak and problematic places… and start piercing,” Pohorilyi said.

In June alone, Russia seized 500 square kilometers of territory — the fastest advance in months, according to DeepState.

Conclusion: Strategy sound, execution lagging

Ukraine’s updated fortification approach reflects modern battlefield realities. But the combination of understaffed trenches, disjointed planning, and delayed execution has blunted the impact of a €1 billion investment. As one soldier put it, success “all depends on the commander” — and too often, that leadership has come too late.

Last night’s Russian drone assault injured at least nine civilians. The injured included the elderly and the young across Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts overnight 6 July 2025. Residential buildings, a kindergarten, vehicles, garages, and power lines were among the affected targets. Additionally, Russia targeted another military draft office.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, more than 150 drones were launched from Russian territory and temporarily occupied Crimea. Ukrainian air defenses neutralized 3/4 of them. 

In Kyiv Oblast, kindergartens and homes hit, elderly woman trapped under rubble

Kyiv Oblast’s Vyshhorod district faced widespread destruction as Shahed drones damaged multiple apartment buildings, six detached homes, and a preschool. Local authorities reported that windows and doors were shattered, facades were punctured, and outbuildings were set on fire.

In Novi Petrivtsi, a Russian drone strike destroyed the home of Nina Ivanivna, a disabled 87-year-old woman.

“They pulled me out of bed… I can barely move. So they carried me out on a stretcher, out into the street,” the woman told Suspilne.

Rescuers managed to evacuate her from under rubble.

In total, four people were injured in Kyiv Oblast, including a 35-year-old man with shrapnel wounds and two elderly residents — a 75-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman — both suffering acute stress reactions, local officials said.

In Kharkiv, toddler and woman injured in nighttime attack

Kharkiv experienced drone explosions across at least three city districts — Shevchenkivskyi, Kyivskyi, and Novobavarskyi — starting at 01:06 on 6 July 2025. Authorities confirmed injuries to a 46-year-old woman hit by flying glass and a girl initially reported as 2.8 months old but later clarified to be two years old. Both suffered stress-related symptoms, according to Kharkiv Oblast head Oleh Syniehubov.

The drone assault damaged 14 residential buildings, a sports complex, a dental clinic, two shops, a café, and multiple civilian vehicles.

In Mykolaiv, Russian drone assault injures two civilians

In Mykolaiv, Russian drones struck the city during the morning hours, injuring two people. According to Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych and Oblast head Vitalii Kim, a 31-year-old woman was hospitalized in moderate condition, and a 35-year-old man received medical assistance on site.

At least ten residential buildings were damaged, along with a bank and a food establishment. The attack also affected port infrastructure and warehouse buildings, causing damage to power grids. In Koblevo’s Rybakivka village, 13 one-family homes and several resort buildings were hit, including a post office and a store. Fires broke out but were extinguished by emergency services.

Zaporizhzhia: 90 or nearly 90-year-old woman injured

In the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, six Shahed drones struck various targets, destroying a home, outbuildings, and damaging a business, farm, and storage facilities. Fires spread over 1,000 square meters, according to the State Emergency Service.

Officials reported that an elderly woman was injured during a strike on the village of Yurivka. Different sources listed her age as either 89 or 90. She received medical care after suffering injuries in the destroyed residential area.

Russia strikes another Ukrainian enlistment center

In addition to targeting homes and civilians, Russia continued its apparent pattern of attacking military recruitment infrastructure. On 6 July 2025, a Russian drone hit the district territorial enlistment center in Kremenchuk, according to Ukraine’s Ground Forces cited by Suspilne. No casualties were reported, but the impact damaged the draft office and a nearby residential building.

This was the third such attack in one week. On 3 July, drones struck recruitment buildings in Poltava, killing two and injuring over 50. On 30 June, a drone exploded near a draft center in Kryvyi Rih. 

Air Force response and ongoing threat

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that overnight on 6 July 2025, beginning at 20:30 on 5 July, Russian forces launched a combined attack consisting of four S-300 surface-to-air ballistic missiles from Kursk Oblast and 157 strike UAVs — mainly Shahed-type drones and decoy drones — from multiple locations, including Shatalovo, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, as well as Hvardiiske and Chauda in occupied Crimea.

Of the 157 drones launched, 117 were neutralized: 98 shot down by air defenses and 19 suppressed or lost due to electronic warfare. Drone impacts were confirmed in 19 locations across northern, eastern, central, and southern Ukraine. Debris from downed drones also fell on two additional sites.

The Air Force’s summary did not mention two Kinzhal ballistic missiles launched the previous day. No casualties or damage were reported from those strikes, but it remains unclear whether the missiles were intercepted or missed their targets.

“Let’s hold the sky! Together — until victory!” the Air Force wrote on its official Telegram channel.

Update 17:00:

As of 15:00, Russian drone attacks killed one person and injured five others in Kherson Oblast, the local military administration reported. Additional strikes injured one man in Sumy Oblast and another in Zaporizhzhia.

Authorities confirmed that on 5 July, a Russian drone struck a car carrying a displaced family near the village of Odnorobivka, Kharkiv Oblast, just 8 km from the Russian border. An eight-year-old boy was killed. His four-year-old brother sustained severe injuries, their father was moderately wounded, and the mother suffered an acute stress reaction, according to Zolochiv hromada head Viktor Kovalenko. The family had previously relocated from nearby Stohniï during the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion and were visiting relatives when the attack occurred. The injured child and father were hospitalized in Kharkiv.

Russia deploys new deadly drones in its war against Ukraine. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reveals that Moscow forces have used a new type of drone, “Chernika” or “Blueberry,” in the city for the first time.

Russia already has over 11,000 of these drones in two models: Chernika-1 and the more powerful Chernika-2. This new weapon is comparable in destructive power to the Molniya drone but has a different design. In the latest strike, several cars were damaged in a garage cooperative, Defense Express reports. 

Russia shatters 50,000 windows in Kharkiv as aid for recovery dries up

Ukrainian anti-air FPV drones have effectively countered the dangerous Chernika-2, shooting down three of these drones so far. However, due to their reliance on communication links, these drones remain vulnerable to electronic warfare systems, which Russia also actively employs.

Still, most of the Russian attacks on Kharkiv are carried out by Shahed drones.

Over the past week, four people have been injured in these strikes, including a child. Explosions were recorded in the Nemishlyansky, Kyivsky, and Industrial districts, causing damage to residential buildings and civilian enterprises.

The duration of air raid alerts in Kharkiv was 33 hours less than the regional average, emphasizes Terekhov. This is the result of coordinated efforts by the military, air defense forces, and analysts at the Situational Center.

Relentless human hunting is becoming a reality in Russia’s war. It is not just about the eastern cities that border Russia but also settlements in the west of Ukraine, warns Ukrainian public figure and head of the Center for Aerial Reconnaissance Support, Maria Berlinska.

“Everyone is afraid of Shaheds and missile strikes right now. But Shaheds and missiles strike specific coordinates. There’s something far more dangerous, thousands of drones above cities, operating in a constant hunting mode,” she says.

Berlinska warns that this will become our reality as early as 2026. It will affect not only Sumy, Dnipro, and Kharkiv but also Lviv and Chernivtsi.

“Thousands of killer drones that will be hunting humans 24/7. I know it sounds like a dystopian horror film but this is our reality, as I see it, already next year,” believes Berlinska. 

She believes countermeasures exist: automatic turrets, anti-aircraft drones, electromagnetic, and laser-based systems. Berlinska urges both central and local authorities to start seeking solutions now.

The expert also admits that very few are seriously preparing for this threat.

Berlinska reminds that 2026 is only six months away and calls on Ukrainians to ask: who will be held responsible when people in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and other cities are forced to live on the run and in basements, under constant threat from Russian drones?

Earlier, she noted that by the end of May 2025, Ukraine had entered a stage where it was increasingly falling behind Russia in the tech race. While parity remains in some areas, Russia is gaining the upper hand overall.

The Russians have built a national policy, mobilized tens of thousands of top engineers into the military-industrial architecture, brought in hundreds of engineering teams from partners such as China, North Korea, and Belarus, and poured hundreds of billions of dollars into R&D and components.