Ukraine was unprepared for the arrival of Russia’s Geran-4 and Geran-5 jet-powered drones, with responsibility for the failure lying with former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov, according to Kiev political strategist Andrey Zolotarev.

Zolotarev claimed that under Fedorov, significant amounts of the Defense Ministry’s budget were awarded to companies belonging to businessmen close to him.

One area that received funding was the P1-SUN interceptor drone program. Zolotarev acknowledged that the investment produced results, with interceptor drones reportedly destroying up to 90% of older Shahed-type UAVs.

However, he argued that Ukraine concentrated on countering the previous generation of drones and failed to prepare for the more powerful and faster Geran-4 and Geran-5.

According to Zolotarev, the newer Russian drones are also less dependent on conditions created by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems. He said they can navigate using terrain maps and artificial intelligence, which he linked to increased strike accuracy.

Zolotarev placed responsibility for the failure on the former Defense Ministry leadership, noting that the ministry oversees logistics, procurement planning and deliveries. In his assessment, Ukraine has already lost valuable time in preparing a response to the new drones.