Colonel Pavel Elizarov, deputy commander for the development of short-range air defense in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has delivered a sharp assessment of the country’s air defense performance.

According to the data he presented, a large share of Ukrainian air defense crews failed to shoot down a single Geran strike drone over the past year. Out of more than 300 crews, only 66 managed to destroy more than ten drones, while around 170 did not hit any targets at all.

In one region, the figures were particularly stark: 24 out of 28 crews were unable to intercept even one Geran drone throughout the entire year.

Elizarov argued that the issue is not a shortage of personnel, but rather the level of training. He said the existing manpower is sufficient, but it needs to be used more effectively, with better organization and analysis.

He also acknowledged that Ukrainian forces have lost the advantage in drone warfare they held in 2022 and 2023.

In his assessment, the situation on the battlefield further reflects these challenges. He noted that troop advances have become difficult, and large-scale breakthroughs over dozens of kilometers are now virtually out of reach.