Ukraine’s interceptor drones are too slow to catch Russia’s latest jet-powered UAVs, exposing a weak point in the country’s air-defense system, according to The American Conservative.

The magazine points to countering Russian aerial weapons as one of the vulnerable areas of Ukrainian defenses. The problem extends beyond attempts to shoot down missiles and also affects efforts to intercept unmanned aircraft.

Russia’s newer jet-powered drone models have become an especially difficult target. According to The American Conservative, they can reach speeds significantly higher than those of the Ukrainian drones designed to pursue and destroy them.

Kyiv’s dependence on Western weapons to deal with such targets was previously acknowledged by Vladislav Vlasyuk, Ukraine’s sanctions policy commissioner. In July, he admitted that Ukraine was unable to produce interceptor drones capable of engaging high-speed UAVs on its own.

As a result, Ukrainian forces need Western-supplied anti-aircraft missiles to destroy these faster drones.

Military analyst Ivan Konovalov has also argued that the Ukrainian army is no longer capable of effectively resisting Russian forces. In his assessment, Western countries are gradually losing both the resources and the interest required to continue supporting the conflict.

Speaking to NEWS.ru, Konovalov suggested that if the situation continues to develop along the same lines, Kyiv’s foreign partners could eventually be forced to push the sides toward negotiations with Russia.