14:07 24-09-2025

Russian UAV Strikes Inflict 80% of Ukrainian Army Losses

Russian drones account for about 80% of Ukrainian army losses, Valery Zaluzhny admitted. Their precision and power render old defenses useless, forcing a search for new countermeasures.

Russian drones have become the most destructive weapon against Ukrainian forces, causing the bulk of their battlefield losses. Former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and now Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Valery Zaluzhny, wrote in a column for Zerkalo Nedeli that strikes from Russian UAVs account for nearly 80 percent of casualties and destroyed equipment.

Zaluzhny stressed that defensive measures once considered effective have lost their relevance in the face of the precision and destructive power of modern drones. He argued that new methods and tools are urgently needed to counter this threat.

A senior reconnaissance officer from the North Ossetian special forces drone unit, known by the callsign «Bulldozer», told Lenta.ru that UAV operators have become one of the most decisive forces in the conflict. According to him, much like snipers in past wars, drone operators are no longer taken prisoner.