Russia Made Drone Production a Supreme Priority. Now It Swarms the Skies.

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/world/europe/russia-ukraine-drone-attacks-production.html

https://archive.ph/SHu9O

Russia Made Drone Production a Supreme Priority. Now It Swarms the Skies.
Ukraine is struggling to defend itself against the growing number of attack drones that Moscow has started using in its onslaughts.
By Paul Sonne and Kim Barker
Sept. 14, 2025 Updated 9:59 a.m. ET

When Russia introduced self-destructing drones from Iran into its war against Ukraine three years ago, Moscow made headlines around the world by launching 43 of them into Ukraine in a single strike.

This month, in just one night, Russia sent more than 800 exploding drones and decoys swarming across the border.

The drastic increase is a result of huge production jumps in Russia for one-way attack drones, which are prioritized by President Vladimir V. Putin and are now being assembled domestically at two main facilities. The Kremlin has also pressed through big manufacturing increases in the smaller tactical drones that Russia uses on the front line, enlisting Russian regional governments, factories and even high school students in the push.

Analysts estimate that Russia is now able to produce about 30,000 of the attack drones modeled on the Iranian design per year. Some believe the country could double that in 2026.


A Ukrainian official kneeling by a downed Russian drone at a “grave yard” for war ordnance in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. While most of the ordnance are missiles, the weaponized drones are beginning to pile up. David Guttenfelder/The New York Times




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