Ukraine War09 July, 20263 min read
Russia Plans To Produce Up To 2,700 Shahed Drones Per Month To Launch At Kyiv
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Drones reshape Ukraine warfare, altering tactics and logistics. U.S.-Ukraine collaboration expands drone capabilities, including testing on American soil.
Drones and obsolescence
A Ukrainian artilleryman using a small Yak-52 told DW that he recently shot down three Russian kamikaze drones in about half an hour, but the same account warned that “We get close to Shahed at 150 or 200 meters.” The Alleanza Italiana per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile report says Russia is ready to produce up to 2,700 Shahed drones per month to launch at Kyiv, with costs described as “between $20,000 and $60,000” and a long range of roughly 1,600 kilometers. It also frames the war as a fast-moving technology cycle, quoting Gianluca Di Feo of Repubblica that in Ukraine “any weapon or countermeasure becomes obsolete after six months.”
The same source says EU leaders at the start of October gathered in Copenhagen expressed support for creating a “wall of drones” on a European scale, while noting that only Slovakia and Hungary remained tepid due to their ties with Moscow. In parallel, the report cites a CSIS paper saying “the traditional emphasis on costly forces with high firepower — tanks, warships and advanced aircraft — is being questioned” by low-cost drones.
Robots on the front
On the Ukrainian front, BFM says the Ukrainian army recounted an operation involving a ground drone armed with a machine gun that could hold a position by itself for nearly six weeks. BFM quotes Mykola Zinkevych of the 3rd Army Corps saying, “Robots do not bleed,” after explaining that “Only the UGV system was present on the position.” The same article says the Ministry of Defense has “already surpassed” its UGV delivery targets for 2025 and plans to accelerate deployment, while also describing that two Phantom MK-1 humanoid robots have been delivered to Ukraine for real-world testing.
It adds that the Phantom MK-1 stands about 1.75 meters tall, weighs between 79 and 82 kg, and is designed for reconnaissance, mine clearance, or various ground operations. BFM also reports that in November 2025 the BBC said up to 90% of resupplies destined for frontline positions around Pokrovsk were carried out by unmanned ground vehicles.
U.S. tech and testing
CBS News describes an early March engagement in which an American-made long-range surveillance drone known as the “V-BAT,” manufactured by Shield AI, spotted Russian soldiers and military equipment on top of an oil rig and helped Ukraine’s navy begin firing on the rig.
CBS News says the engagement cost Russia over $1.5 million in military equipment and quotes a Ukrainian naval V-BAT operator, call sign “Negative,” saying “We focus on targets that are expensive, strategically valuable, or difficult to replace.”
Separately, GEO reports that documents reviewed by the Financial Times say Kyiv and Washington are negotiating an agreement to allow Ukrainian drones to be sent to U.S. soil for testing, with the contract from the U.S. Department of Defense reported on Wednesday, May 13.
GEO says the preamble acknowledges a “shared interest in future cooperation in the production, development or purchase of Ukrainian technologies that would benefit American fighters,” and notes Ukraine promises to respond to American requests within ten business days.
The same GEO account says the agreement would last two years and be signed without any binding legal obligation, while leaving open the possibility that some Ukrainian drones could be used in operational testing environments if both governments provide written consent.