Russia is ramping up its drone warfare against Ukraine, preparing to launch up to 500 attack and reconnaissance drones simultaneously, according to Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR).
Speaking to RBC-Ukraine on March 3, Skibitskyi revealed that Russian drone production has significantly increased, allowing for more frequent and larger-scale attacks.
Surging Drone Production Fuels New Offensive Strategy
Russia has tripled its drone production capacity, with factories in Izhevsk, Yelabuga, and the Kalashnikov Concern working at full capacity to mass-produce new models. These advancements enable Moscow to saturate Ukraine’s airspace with UAVs, overwhelming air defenses.
“The Russian army is now planning to create more launch sites, allowing them to fire approximately 500 'Shahed' drones and UAVs at once,” Skibitskyi stated.
The variety of drones Russia now employs has expanded significantly, making defense more complex.
“Previously, we mainly dealt with Shahed drones, rebranded by Russia as Geranium-1 and Geranium-2. But today, their arsenal includes a wide range of UAVs, including Harpy, Gerbera, and Parody models,” Skibitskyi noted.
Russian forces are deploying four main types of drones:
Strike drones for direct attacks
Reconnaissance drones for battlefield intelligence
Decoy UAVs to lure out and exhaust Ukrainian air defenses
Imitation targets that mimic real threats but carry no payload
“All of this is aimed at overwhelming our air defense systems,” Skibitskyi warned. “It’s difficult to distinguish between a combat drone and a decoy, forcing our air defenses to expend valuable interceptors on empty threats.”
Drone and Missile Attacks Escalate as Russia Plans New Offensives
Moscow is not only increasing drone production but also boosting the manufacturing of high-precision missiles by 1.2 to 1.5 times compared to last year. This suggests an intensified air campaign in the coming months.
Priority battlefronts for Russian forces include:
Pokrovsk, Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Kupiansk—hotspots of heavy fighting
Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, where Moscow is planning new offensives
Meanwhile, Russia aims to recruit 343,000 contract soldiers in 2025, focusing on replenishing battlefield losses, Skibitskyi added.
Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation has also reported new, unidentified suicide drones being used in recent attacks.
In the past week, the city of Sumy has suffered five drone strikes, including attacks on civilians in broad daylight. These drones, equipped with powerful warheads, have already caused at least one death and three injuries.
