Ukrainian Defence Faces Rising Threat From New High-Speed Russian Shahed Drones

What happened

Ukrainska Pravda reports that over the past 36 hours, Russia launched a large-scale drone attack involving 1,560 drones targeting residential areas, underscoring the continuing use of kamikaze drones in its military tactics. Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) states Russia plans to produce 60,000 long-range strike drones and 50,000 decoys this year, while increasingly focusing production on faster jet-powered UAV variants.

The central claim remains unconfirmed in the supplied material and should be treated as hearsay until corroborated by another reliable source or a named official. According to Ukrainian sources including DIU, the new jet-powered drones can reach significantly higher speeds than previous models, up to 600 km/h, making them harder to intercept with current Ukrainian interceptor drones that have speed limitations. The evolution to jet-powered Shaheds began with Iran’s Shahed-238 model in 2023, later adapted by Russia into models such as the Geran-3, Geran-4, and Geran-5, with varying speeds and warhead capacities.

Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence notes that the Geran series drones are still produced in limited numbers, with plans to mass-produce the Geran-3 variant later this year and increase jet-powered drone share to approximately half of all Shahed output. Open source intelligence suggests Russia is conducting daily experimental launches of around 10-12 jet-powered drones, attempting to optimize tactics based on their effectiveness.

Known from the source

• Over 1,560 drones were launched over 36 hours in strikes including residential targets, per Ukrainska Pravda.
• Russia plans to produce 60,000 strike drones and 50,000 decoy drones in 2026, according to Ukraine's Defence Intelligence (DIU).
• Russia is increasing production of jet-powered Shahed drone variants capable of speeds up to 600 km/h.
• The jet-powered drone models include Geran-3, Geran-4, and Geran-5, with varying specifications and speed.
• Mass production of Geran-3 is planned for the second half of 2026; Geran-4 and Geran-5 are already in limited production with about 500 units per month capacity.

What remains unclear

Launch sites for these drones reportedly include areas in Russia’s Oryol Oblast and the region around the Donetsk airport. Though use remains experimental, the increased speed of these drones presents a significant escalation, especially in regions nearer to Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, heightening concerns over civilian safety and air defence challenges.

What remains unclear: Confirm whether the central claim is corroborated; until then treat it as unconfirmed/hearsay. Verification of the exact numbers of drones launched during the 36-hour period and casualty or damage reports from these attacks. Independent confirmation of production volumes and timelines for Geran-3, Geran-4, and Geran-5 drones. Verification of OSINT claims on daily jet-powered drone launch counts and locations.

Evidence note

This story contains report-led claims. The article keeps those claims attributed and treats them as unconfirmed/hearsay unless independently corroborated.

Original source: Ukrainska Pravda English. Open the source.