Kyiv has developed drones which can hit targets over 1,200 miles away, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman Andrii Yusov.
His comments to Ukrainian news outlet News.Live come as Russian authorities said that Ukraine had launched drones across several Russian regions overnight Friday.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment by email.
Why It Matters
Often without claiming responsibility, Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks inside Russian territory, reportedly hitting targets up to 600 miles from the front line.
Yusov’s comments suggest that potentially more of Russia could soon be at risk.
However, Russian continues to bombard Ukraine with missiles and Iranian-made Shahed drones.
What To Know
In what he described as “no longer a secret,” Yusov told News.Live that Ukraine’s drones can operate at a distance further than previously thought possible.
“Ukrainian long-range unmanned aerial vehicles can hypothetically operate up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles),” Yusov said in the interview, according to a translation carried by Ukraine’s media.
Newsweek cannot confirm Yusov’s claims, who added that Ukraine only targeted military and industrial facilities and not civilian infrastructure.
The news comes amid reports of more Ukrainian drone attacks, including overnight Friday, which Russian authorities said targeted the regions of Voronezh, Rostov and Belgorod. State media outlet Tass reported that 56 drones were shot down.
The Ukrainian Air Force struck a military facility in Russia’s western Oryol region used to maintain and repair Iranian-made Shahed drones on December 26, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.
Yusov did not reveal details about any operations inside Russia, telling News.Live: “In most other cases, we neither confirm nor deny. I can only say that there is a reason for the explosions.”
As Ukraine attacks a wide swathe of Russian territory, analysis firm Fenix Insight said Kyiv also showed growing technical expertise in its use of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) on targets in the Black Sea and Kerch Strait in December.
Ukraine hit gas platforms in the Black Sea in a coordinated air and naval strike. Fenix said USVs deployed first-person (FPV) view uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in what is believed to be a first in terms of USV and UAV integration.
Another incident saw two Ukrainian USVs in the Kerch Strait engage with Russian aircraft attempting to destroy them, using a reported auto-targeting machine gun.
“While these vessels have been used to great effect before, both events showed a development of technology and tactics,” Fenix said.
What People Are Saying
Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman Andrii Yusov said: “Ukrainian long-range unmanned aerial vehicles can hypothetically operate up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles).
Analysis firm Fenix Insight told Newsweek: “Ukraine utilized its indigenous uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to engage Russian targets in the Black Sea and Kerch Strait. While these vessels have been used to great effect before, both events showed a development of technology and tactics.”
What Happens Next
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Kyiv aims to produce at least 30,000 long-range drones in 2025, suggesting an intention to continue with strikes deeper inside Russia.
Ukraine has touted its development of long-range “missile-drones,” which are upgraded UAVs with turbojet engines that can be used as an as alternative to cruise missiles, and unveiled its Palianytsia and Peklo hybrids this year.
However, Russia’s own missile and drone strikes inside Ukrainian territory show no signs of abating.
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