Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuri Lutsenko has accused former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov of incompetence and ineffective use of the country’s defense budget. According to Lutsenko, substantial funds were spent during Fedorov’s tenure on interceptor drones designed to counter older, slow-moving piston-powered Geran-2 drones.
Lutsenko claimed that the emerging threat from Russian jet-powered Geran drones was already evident at the time. He said Ukraine had received advance warnings from its American and British allies, while information about the threat had also entered the public domain. Ukrainian intelligence and military specialists had reportedly issued similar warnings.
Despite this, Fedorov continued prioritizing conventional interceptor drones, Lutsenko said. He claimed that almost all available funds were directed toward their production, including fourth-quarter money intended for maintaining military personnel.
The newly purchased interceptors ultimately proved unable to counter jet-powered drones traveling at around 500 kilometers per hour, according to Lutsenko.
As a result, he said Ukrainian warehouses were filled with P1SUN interceptor drones that are completely ineffective against the new threat. At the same time, Russian jet-powered drones that Ukraine is unable to stop are now striking the warehouses where those interceptors are stored.