Russia has significantly increased drone production and is now preparing to launch 500 drones simultaneously over Ukraine, according to Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).
In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Skibitsky said that Russia has expanded its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production to include various models, enabling it to launch hundreds of UAVs in a single strike.
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“In 2023 and early 2024, we primarily saw Shahed drones, later identified as Geran-1 and Geran-2. Today, the variety of UAVs has grown significantly, making it impossible to count them on the fingers of one hand. They include Geran-1, Geran-2, Harpy, Gerbera, Parody, and others,” he said.
Ukraine endured its largest drone assault since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 23. Russian forces launched a staggering 267 Shaheds with various munitions, ballistic missiles, and decoy drones across multiple regions.
Ukrainian air defense managed to shoot down 138 of the incoming drones, while 119 disappeared from radar. Meanwhile, three strayed back into Russia, and one veered toward Belarus. Col. Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, confirmed that this was the biggest single-wave drone attack of the war.
According to Skibitsky, Russia is currently deploying different types of drones, including strike UAVs, reconnaissance drones, and decoy UAVs that carry no warheads but serve as imitation targets.
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“This overloads our air defense system. It becomes extremely difficult to distinguish between a drone carrying an explosive payload and one without it,” he said.
Skibitsky also said that Russia is expanding its launch infrastructure, increasing the number of sites from which drones are deployed across Ukraine.
“If Russia successfully implements its plans for the first half of the year, it will be capable of launching approximately 500 UAVs simultaneously,” he told the publication.
Meanwhile, Russia is also ramping up production of certain missile types while adjusting its arsenal based on battlefield effectiveness.
For example, Kh-101 cruise missile production is increasing, whereas Kalibr missile production is being scaled back.
“The enemy also plans to boost the production of Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and ballistic missiles for the Iskander system, as these weapons have proven more effective in combat,” Skibitsky said.
However, the overall increase in high-precision missile production remains limited to 1.2 to 1.5 times compared to the previous year, he said.
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