Russia's drone strikes: This is how they influence the Ukraine war

Russia's drone strikes: This is how they influence the Ukraine war

As the Russian war machine advances in eastern Ukraine, an offensive is being waged far beyond the front lines. Russia is stepping up nightly drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure, and experts report that as production of these weapons rapidly increases, the attacks are also becoming more intense.

Drone attacks as a war strategy

Many of the drones deployed are not particularly fast or sophisticated, but they are inexpensive enough for the Kremlin to be able to launch over 700 in a single night. The goal is to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses and undermine civilian morale. After receiving Iranian designs for Shahed attack drones, Russia built a massive factory capable of producing thousands of these weapons per month. These evolving tactics are forcing Ukraine to respond with more expensive munitions and innovations as lower-cost defenses become less effective.

The development of drone technologies

The rapid rise in drone attacks shows how warfare is increasingly relying on unmanned autonomous vehicles. Both Ukraine and Russia are being forced to improve their drone capabilities to make up for deficiencies in their air forces. In contrast, the United States and its European NATO allies are actively working to improve drone and anti-drone operations to maintain an advantage in future conflicts.

"NATO is likely to use drones on a large scale. Not on the same scale as Russia and Ukraine, as we have massive air forces that we have invested in but will serve as a complement," explained Robert Tollast, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Global Impact of Drone Technology

Taiwan is already studying how it can develop low-cost attack drones on a large scale. Non-state actors worldwide and drug cartels are also increasingly using drones. “These pose an enormous challenge to unprepared armies around the world,” Tollast added.

Russia now produces over 6,000 Shahed drones per month, which is significantly cheaper compared to the early days of the war, when drones were still purchased from Tehran. “In 2022, Russia paid an average of $200,000 for such a drone,” a Ukrainian defense intelligence source reported. “In 2025, this price dropped to about $70,000,” due to mass production at the Alabuga drone factory in the Tatarstan region.

The threat of drone attacks

The comparatively low price allows the Kremlin to increase nighttime drone strikes and carry out large-scale attacks more frequently. While major missile and drone attacks occurred about once a month at the start of the war, by mid-2025 they were happening on average every eight days, according to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

For many civilians, the constant threat of drone attacks is frightening. Kiev citizen Bohdana Zhupanyna was heavily pregnant when her family's apartment was completely destroyed by a Russian drone strike in July. “I'm trying to calm down because such stress in the ninth week of pregnancy is very dangerous,” said Zhupanyna, who has since given birth to a healthy child.

Reports of civilian casualties

As Russia uses long-range drones to attack Ukrainian cities hundreds of miles from the front lines, civilians in cities near Russian-controlled areas are reporting daily FPV drone strikes. Residents of the Kherson region reported that “no target was out of reach,” with reports of FPV drone attacks on pedestrians, cars, buses and even ambulances.

Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians, despite substantial evidence to the contrary. The rate of drones hitting their targets has roughly doubled since April, with a hit rate of nearly 20% compared to less than 10% in 2024.

Mutual adjustments in drone use

Russia's tactic is to "keep constant pressure," said Yasir Atalan, a data expert at CSIS. “Their strategy is increasingly focused on this type of attrition.” Ukraine is also defending itself with FPV drones on the front lines and has attacked infrastructure and weapons depots within Russia with long-range drones.

"For every technological development, both sides are already looking for countermeasures. And the innovation cycle is so fast that we see a counter-adaptation to a technological breakthrough within two to three weeks," explained Kateryna Stepanenko, Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War.

Meanwhile, both Ukraine and Russia are working on developing AI-controlled drones that can make their own decisions on the battlefield. Interceptor drones are also being developed, which could be used as a more cost-effective method of combating airstrikes.

“There are numerous reports of Ukraine testing these drones, but we have not seen them in use on a large scale,” Stepanenko said. “The development of interceptor drones would unlock Ukrainian capabilities and help the Ukrainian Armed Forces maintain some of their air defense missiles for missile strikes.”

Reporting from CNN, with contributions from Toby Hancock, Henrik Pettersson and Daria Tarasova-Markina.