Russia launches record number of drones in October, General Staff reports
Russia launched at least 4,300 Shahed-type attack drones and similar UAVs imitating Shaheds against Ukraine between August and October 2024, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
This number represents a sharp rise compared to earlier months, when 1,133 Shahed-type drones were launched over Ukraine from May to July.
October also marked a record-high month for Russia’s drone deployments with over 2,000 drones launched. President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies to apply more sanctions against the providers of components used in Russian drones.
"This volume of 'Shahed' drones means over 170,000 components that should have been blocked from reaching Russia," Zelensky said in his evening address on Nov. 2. "Microchips, microcontrollers, processors, and many other parts are essential for enabling this terror."
"All of these are supplied to Russia from abroad, unfortunately, from companies in China, Europe, and America—a multitude of small but significant contributions to Russia’s ongoing terror," Zelensky added.
Between August and October, Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 3,063 of 4,300 drones, achieving a success rate of 71% through coordinated defense efforts. During the same period, the Air Force also reported that 1,052 drones, or 24% of those launched, were "locally lost," vanishing from radar — presumably due to electronic warfare measures or other disruptions.
The General Staff noted that only five percent of Russian drones reached their intended targets during this time frame, although drones shot down by air defenses can still cause damage or destruction upon falling.
Russia has launched tens of thousands of cheap but effective Iranian-designed Shahed-type drones against Ukraine since the fall of 2022.
Kateryna Hodunova
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