Russia fired more than 1,300 attack drones into Ukrainian territory in September and is expected to surpass that number in October. It is the highest number of One Way Attack Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (OWA-UAVs) launched in a single month since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, British officials said Wednesday.
Moscow is “almost certainly” expanding its capacity to conduct large-scale drone attacks against Ukraine by supplementing its Iranian-supplied UAVs with an expanded domestic production line. However, it is unclear whether Russia can continue at the same pace through the remainder of 2024, U.K. intelligence officials said on X in their latest assessment of the battlefield conditions.
Russia uses its attack drones to strike a wide range of targets but particularly focuses on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Given their ability to attack deep into Ukrainian territory, Moscow’s UAVs are maintaining pressure on Kyiv’s air defense system, British officials said.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the U.S. will provide them with $800 million to fund Kyiv’s domestic drone industry.
“Ukraine is grateful for this support. We need to ensure that, despite any political threats in the world, Ukraine can consistently defend its sovereignty and independence,” Mr. Zelenskyy said in an address to the nation.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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