Yuriy Cherevashenko, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Air Force for direct air defence, told a parliamentary hearing that Russia used about 1,900 jet-powered drones in September. He said they could eventually make up 80% of attacking drones.
Cherevashenko said the number of jet-powered UAVs had risen sharply since July. In September, he estimated, they accounted for about 40% of drones used against Ukraine, reaching 60% on some fronts. Intercepted Russian UAVs travel at 460–560 kilometres per hour, he said, while future models could reach 800–900 km/h.
The officer put Ukraine’s overall effectiveness against jet-powered drones at about 67%. He described automated machine-gun turrets that use algorithms to identify and track targets, while an operator still decides whether to fire. More than 200 systems are in use in several regions. Cherevashenko said their average effectiveness was 28%, with results ranging from 20% to 40%.
Ukraine is also working with about 20 interceptor-drone makers, but production remains limited to small batches and prototypes. Cherevashenko said one aim is to build reusable interceptors that can return after destroying a target. He also claimed that about 60% of the jet engines used in Russian drones come from China through indirect supply chains. These figures are his assessment and have not been independently verified.
The Associated Press has separately reported that Russian jet-powered drones are reducing the time available for interception and prompting Ukraine to develop new air-defence systems. AP described Ukrainian use of artificial intelligence and electronic warfare to guide drones into interception zones. It has not independently confirmed the specific figures Cherevashenko gave at the hearing.