Ukraine is fielding new ways to intercept Russia’s jet-powered drones, the country’s defense ministry said on Monday in its September air defense report.
The ministry said Russia is sending small groups of several jet drones into different regions, which Ukraine counters with aircraft and what it called innovative interception, according to RBC-Ukraine, though the ministry provided no specifics.
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It added that ballistic missiles remain a challenge, while jet drones flying at about 400 kmh (249 mph) shorten the time available to detect and intercept them.
The new Russian drones are already having an effect. On Oct. 10, turbojet loitering munitions damaged power distribution facilities in the Kyiv region, injuring four people, causing voltage drops that shut down all three metro lines, and knocking out municipal water pumping stations.
How Kyiv is responding
While the ministry has been tight-lipped about its innovations, recent reports suggest a combination of efforts.
The most immediate is the F-16 fighter jets. Pilots have already used the jets’ 20mm cannons against jet drones, and Kyiv wants tens of thousands of rounds as a cheaper alternative to air-to-air missiles.
The second track focuses on dedicated interceptors, with the defense ministry testing and codifying various models that can down jet-powered drones. Arms makers are also working with the military to test new models, such as the Griffen jet-powered drone, which is said to have successfully intercepted a target in July.
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The company said the goal is to address compatibility issues across the front line.
A third track is a small-missile program that President Volodymyr Zelensky said is expected to show results in the second half of the month, with production scaling up if it works.
The last would be AI-powered gun turrets, deployed around Kyiv in October after Russia began targeting bridges across the Dnipro River. Reports suggest 12 are in place, with eight more planned, though a defense adviser cautioned they are only a last line of defense and cannot protect the entire city, despite reported successes against jet-powered drones.
And scaling the new systems remains the main obstacle.
The Associated Press reported that ramping up interceptor production and training pilots could take three to six months, well beyond the end-of-October target. RBC-Ukraine has reported that technical complexity and high component costs, especially for engines Ukraine largely buys abroad, limit how quickly Ukraine can produce jet interceptors.
From experiment to mass use
Jet-powered drones are not new.
In February 2025, Ukraine’s military intelligence warned that Russia had begun domestic production of the jet-powered Geran-3, a variant of the Iranian Shahed design. Ukraine officially confirmed its inclusion in mass airstrikes in July 2025.
For months, use remained limited. Russia launched about 1,400 jet-powered Gerans in the first months of 2026, compared with 180 recorded in all of 2025, according to defense outlet Militarnyi.
Russia began launching the newer Geran-4 in May, and in August, the Ukrainian Air Force said up to two-thirds of the drones in some strikes were jet-powered, with around 2,850 launches documented in a single month, rising to nearly 3,500 by September.
Why they are harder to stop
Speed and altitude are the main advantages. Jet drones fly faster and higher than propeller-driven Shaheds, making them harder for mobile fire groups and existing interceptor drones to hit.
Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara has framed the shift as a change in the nature of the threat.
“The effectiveness of countering standard ‘Shahed’ drones already exceeds 90%,” he said. “The key challenge now is jet-powered drones, which require different interception speeds.”
Anastasiia Bzova is journalist covering politics, culture and current affairs. She focuses on delivering accurate, accessible reporting that helps readers understand the issues shaping their opinions.