Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on September 4, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUkraine seeks to enhance interceptor drone capabilities to counter Russian attacks. A layered defense system is being developed to improve effectiveness.
(Reuters) -Ukraine wants to see improved performance by interceptor drones to counter Russian aerial attacks more effectively, the country's top commander said on Thursday.
Ukraine's military has looked to interceptor drones in recent months as the most effective means of dealing with increasingly intense Russian drone assaults. The military also sees interceptors as cheaper and less wasteful than using more traditional means, such as air defence missile systems.
Top Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, writing on social media, said a meeting of senior officials on Thursday devoted to aid defences sought ways of building more effective systems against incoming drones.
"We are creating a layered system to counteract enemy Shahed and Geran drones," he wrote, referring to the most commonly used Russian drones.
"Our shared task is to train more crews, more interceptor operators, and provide them with more effective weapons and radars ... Following the meeting, tasks were set to eliminate shortcomings and strengthen work on interceptor drones."
Participants, he said, heard reports about the effectiveness of interceptors and the prospects of supplying greater numbers.
"Air defence is a priority for the country and for the armed forces and for me personally as commander in chief," Syrskyi wrote.
"Safety in the Ukrainian rear depends on the results obtained from our 'anti-Shahed' system, on the reliability of our anti-missile defence."
Despite discussions of organising peace talks to end more than 3-1/2 years of conflict with Moscow, Russia has been deploying large numbers of drones and other weapons in aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine's air force on Wednesday said it had downed 430 of 502 drones and 21 of 24 missiles launched by Russia overnight. On at least one occasion in July, Russian forces launched at least 700 drones overnight on Ukrainian targets.
(Reporting by Ron PopeskiEditing by Rod Nickel)
Ukraine is focusing on improving the performance of interceptor drones to effectively counter Russian aerial attacks, as stated by top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Ukraine's military has been dealing with increasingly intense Russian drone assaults, necessitating the development of a layered air defense system.
On a recent occasion, Ukraine's air force reported downing 430 out of 502 drones and 21 out of 24 missiles launched by Russia.
The goals include training more interceptor operators, providing them with effective weapons and radars, and eliminating shortcomings in the current systems.
Air defense is considered a priority for Ukraine's armed forces and is crucial for ensuring safety in the Ukrainian rear, as emphasized by commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.
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