The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported a significant strengthening of the response to Russian strike drones of the ‘Shahed’ type in Kyiv and its outskirts. According to Syrskyi, a considerable part of this success was ensured by interceptor drones, which destroyed over 70% of enemy UAVs of this type in February.
This is reported by Finway
The Key Role of Interceptor Drones in Countering ‘Shaheds’
Oleksandr Syrskyi emphasized that the importance of interceptor drones in the fight against Russian UAVs is constantly increasing. In February, these systems conducted approximately 6,300 flight missions, resulting in the destruction of over 1,500 Russian UAVs of various types. Despite challenging weather conditions and a shortage of munitions, the effectiveness of small air defense groups remained consistently high.
“For instance, in Kyiv and its surroundings, during February, the share of such interceptor drones in targeting ‘Shaheds’ was over 70%.”
During a working meeting on the development of small air defense, the command analyzed the effectiveness of operations at key interception lines and heard reports on projects for protecting important administrative centers in the regions, as well as improving army aviation to enhance the effectiveness of the fight against ‘Shaheds’.
Plans for Improving and Expanding the Air Defense System
The Commander-in-Chief emphasized that active cooperation with manufacturers is currently underway to enhance the effectiveness of various models of interceptor drones, and the formation and training of crews for these UAVs continues. Significant attention is being paid to equipping air defense divisions with modern drone systems. Over the past year, substantial results have been achieved in this direction, but efforts need to be further strengthened and the pace of work accelerated.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Oleksandr Syrskyi set a number of tasks for the relevant military management bodies, including newly established structures, to further strengthen the system for countering Russian UAVs. It is worth recalling that back in December 2025, he announced the need to enhance this direction, particularly by increasing the fleet of interceptor drones, ground stations, radar systems, and improving the training level of crews.