Russia may be preparing to launch up to 2,000 drones simultaneously against Ukraine, which would pose a serious challenge to Ukraine’s air defense systems, said General Christian Freuding, head of the Situation Center for Ukraine at Germany’s Ministry of Defense. According to him, Russia is rapidly expanding its drone production to enable large-scale use in the war.
Freuding noted that traditional air defense methods, such as intercepting Shahed drones with expensive Patriot missiles, are not cost-effective. One such drone costs between €30,000 and €50,000, while a single Patriot missile costs over €5 million.
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He emphasized the need to develop economically viable countermeasures, ideally costing €2,000–4,000 per unit, to effectively respond to Russia’s mass drone attacks. As another tactical response, Freuding suggested striking rear targets in Russia, including military airfields, aircraft, and defense industry facilities.
The general also drew attention to China’s policy shift, stating that Beijing has completely halted the export of drone components to Ukraine and redirected those supplies to Russia. This move has effectively pushed Ukraine out of the drone technology market, further weakening its defense capabilities.
“Right now, the situation is that China is effectively exporting solely to Russia, while Ukraine has been shut out of this market,” Freuding said.
Russia Says It Downed 419 Ukrainian Drones Overnight, Including 56 Bound for Moscow
Russia regularly uses Shahed-136 (Geran-2), FPV, and kamikaze drones to target residential buildings, hospitals, schools, power stations, ports, and other civilian infrastructure. These strikes violate international humanitarian law, as attacking objects with no military value constitutes a war crime. Drones are often used at night to maximize psychological pressure and exhaust the civilian population.
On July 10, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is planning to launch 700 to 1,000 drones daily. However, Ukraine already has a solution in development—interceptor drones that could be mass-produced with sufficient funding.
“If our partners support us, we will intercept everything with interceptor drones… And once we solve the issue with Patriot systems, the ballistic missile threat will be gone as well,” Zelensky said.
Earlier, on June 21, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) reported that the maximum number of drones Russia can currently deploy in a single night is around 500.
According to HUR, Russia is producing up to 170 Shahed-type drones and decoys daily. By the end of the year, daily drone production could increase to 190 units.
As of June 15, Russia had stockpiled approximately 6,000 strike drones—mainly Geran-2 (Shahed-136) and Harpy-A1 types—as well as more than 6,000 Gerbera decoy drones, signaling preparations for massive drone strikes against Ukraine.
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Russia Hit by 660-Drone Overnight Barrage Targeting Moscow, Crimea and Key Military Sites
