Russia Builds New Drone Base as Ukraine Races to Adapt

Russia has built a major new base for launching drone attacks in six weeks, satellite images reported on Oct. 15 show. Reuters

The reported construction follows a shift toward faster, jet-powered attack drones over Ukraine. In late summer 2026, jet-powered Russian attack drones began appearing in large quantities over Kyiv and other areas, according to the Atlantic Council. Atlantic Council

Russia increased its use of jet-powered drones sixfold over the summer of 2026. Those drones can reach speeds of up to 500 km/h, outpacing Ukraine's low-cost interceptor drones, small uncrewed aircraft built to knock down incoming weapons. Reuters

Ukrainian officials have described jet-powered versions as reaching around 370 miles per hour, roughly three times as fast as older models. Many of the Russian drones used against Ukraine are now powered by jet engines.

Ukraine's air defense destroyed more than 4,700 drones and missiles in September while repelling large-scale attacks. In August, it intercepted more than 4,600 aerial targets. Ukrainian Defence Ministry

Ukraine is adapting its air defenses to counter the faster drones. Its Defence Forces have added 650 new unmanned aerial systems, a term for military drones, since the start of the year.

That expansion includes Alexa Spatium, described as Ukraine's first jet-powered drone interceptor. Another system, the LITAVR interceptor drone, is designed to intercept targets at 350 km/h. LITAVR is named after a traditional Cossack drum.

Ukraine has also deployed interceptor drones guided by artificial intelligence. The P1-Sun Long is one of the first such systems, trained to find and knock down Shahed-type drones. In June, Ukrainian sea drones acted as miniature aircraft carriers, launching an interceptor drone from a waterborne platform.