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Russia continues to modify its Geran family of strike drones. Ukrainian military analyst Alexander Kovalenko said a new high-speed version was recently spotted near Odessa and reportedly accelerated to around 800 km/h.
Kovalenko suggested that the aircraft could be a Geran-4 fitted with a new jet propulsion system. During the flight, the drone reportedly surged to roughly 800 km/h before slowing to about 500 km/h and continuing on its route.
The analyst said he could be mistaken but believed the Russian military may be testing a new jet engine on the Geran-4.
According to Kovalenko, existing jet-powered Geran variants already reach speeds of around 500–600 km/h, creating serious difficulties for Ukrainian air defenses.
He argued that the appearance of a serial-produced drone capable of accelerating to 800 km/h would further narrow the range of systems able to intercept it. In his assessment, Ukrainian air defenses would have to rely on anti-aircraft missiles against such targets, while stocks of those missiles are nearly depleted.
Vladimir Zelensky previously said that in September 2026 Ukraine was intercepting about 55% of jet-powered drones and more than 90% of conventional UAVs equipped with piston engines. Some Ukrainian experts have questioned those figures, particularly the reported interception rate for jet-powered drones.