Russian forces are increasingly using attack drones powered by internal combustion engines, taking advantage of weather conditions and directing them towards Ukraine's western regions.
Yurii Ihnat, Head of Communications at the Ukrainian Air Force Command, said this during a television broadcast.
"Certain circumstances have changed, primarily the weather conditions. The enemy is actively exploiting these changes and is now deploying large numbers of UAVs powered by internal combustion engines. This, in turn, requires adjustments to our air defence tactics and the weapons we use. Mobile fire groups, interceptor drones and so-called 'short-range air defence' systems are being deployed to shoot down aerial targets such as Shahed-131, Shahed-136, Gerbera and Parodiya drones as effectively and efficiently as possible. Overnight, we detected 269 attack UAVs, including up to 10 Banderol drones," Ihnat said.
He added that Russian forces are currently exploiting weather conditions to launch large numbers of petrol-powered drones towards Ukraine's western regions.
According to Ihnat, 59 of the 269 detected drones were jet-powered, of which 43 were successfully shot down or suppressed.
"This is a fairly high percentage compared with previous months. We are working to improve these figures further," the Air Force spokesperson emphasised.
Ihnat also noted that Ukraine's Security and Defence Forces are using innovative technologies to destroy Russian drones, including jet-powered interceptor drones.
