A multi-tiered system designed to counter Russian unmanned aircraft has been deployed across the Kherson region.
Regional administration chief Oleksandr Prokudin spoke about this on national television.
According to him, Russian forces use drones as a deliberate instrument of intimidation and killing. Over the past year alone, the region was hit by around 97,000 attack UAVs. These strikes took the lives of 130 residents, among them three children, and left 1,195 people wounded, including 17 minors.
Prokudin stressed that defending the region from drone assaults has become one of the top priorities. He explained that Kherson now has an unprecedented three-layer protection system in place — essentially an electronic shield capable of operating across fifteen frequency bands at once. This system allows defenders to neutralise a broad spectrum of drones, from commercial quadcopters to FPV models.
Another major focus, he said, is the safeguarding of logistics routes. Every day, hundreds of workers install overhead netting along roads, near key infrastructure, at hospitals, markets, and shops to reduce casualties from UAV strikes. More than one hundred kilometres of critical routes and facilities are already covered with these protective nets, which have repeatedly demonstrated their effectiveness.
“These nets work — we intercept drones on them daily, and they even help in managing the remnants of downed devices,” Prokudin noted.
He added that due to continual improvements in defensive measures, Ukrainian forces managed to destroy about 93,000 Russian attack drones last year — a significant share of the total used against the region.
At the same time, Prokudin cautioned that no technology or defensive system can provide complete protection. The Russian side is constantly modifying its UAVs and testing new methods to bypass electronic countermeasures.
He pointed out the growing use of fibre-optic-guided drones and models of the “Lightning” type. In some cases, he said, “Lightning” drones are used to carry and release smaller FPV aircraft.
Given these developments, Prokudin stressed that Ukraine must continuously adjust and upgrade its defensive approach to keep up with the evolving threat.
