Jet-powered Russian drones strain Ukraine's air defences
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drones → power → defences
KYIV, Sept 22 - Vasyl, a portable rocket operator in one of Ukraine's many mobile air defence groups, was dismayed when he checked his screen.
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he → dismay → screen
The Russian jet-powered Shahed drone moving towards his position was flying far too high for him to shoot it down.
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him → power → it
"Before, Shaheds used to fly lower — one or 1.5 kilometres (above ground) and we could work on them," said Vasyl, who goes by the call sign Racoon, while on a mission to protect the capital Kyiv and the surrounding region with a shoulder-fired ground-to-air missile.
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who → use → missile
"But jet-powered drones now fly at four, five, even seven kilometres.
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drones → power → kilometres
It's not realistic for us to down them," the 26-year-old said.
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old → down → them
Since Russia started widely using jet-powered drones this summer, hundreds have crashed into Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, evading air defences.
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hundreds → start → defences
The new drones fly at high speeds and high altitudes, blurring the line between drones and cruise missiles.
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drones → fly → drones
In the first three weeks of September, Russia launched 2,100 jet-powered attack drones and 136 missiles at Ukraine, killing 288 people, including four children, according to Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi.
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Russia → launch → Koretskyi
In August, Russia launched more than 2,800 such drones, he said.
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he → launch → drones
Moscow denies targeting civilians despite the growing civilian death toll and the devastation caused to cities across Ukraine.
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Moscow → deny → Ukraine
HIGH ALTITUDES AND SECONDS TO REACT
Vasyl and his mobile drone-hunting crew of three people have only seconds to react to attacks by jet-powered drones, instead of minutes with the propeller versions of the Shahed.
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Vasyl → react → Shahed
Russia is also now launching drones round the clock instead of largely at night.
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Russia → launch → night
"It's aiming to wear down our air defences," said Vasyl, adding that drones had been flying all day.
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drones → aim → defences
"It all takes its toll, because we're out on duty and we're not really getting any sleep.
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we → take → sleep
"
Ukraine is intercepting only about 60% of the jet-powered drones, compared to the more than 90% of earlier models that were routinely intercepted, said Yurii Ihnat, the Ukrainian air force's spokesperson.
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Ihnat → intercept → models
The new drones are more expensive than propeller versions, but are still cheaper than the cruise missiles that Russia has been firing at Ukraine.
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Russia → fire → Ukraine
In recent months, Moscow has systematically targeted the pillars of Ukraine's economy including its Black Sea grain ports, railways and the steel and logistics sectors.
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Moscow → target → ports
Hundreds of thousands of square meters of warehouses and commercial properties have been destroyed in Ukraine.
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thousands → destroy → Ukraine
Russia has disrupted supplies of food products, medicines, and other daily-use products for the first time since the early days of the war.
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Russia → disrupt → war
Moscow has used the new tactic as its advances on the battlefield stalled.
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advances → use → battlefield
Ukraine has also ramped up its own strikes on Russia, hitting its oil and fuel infrastructure and weapon production companies.
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Ukraine → ramp → infrastructure
The shift in Russian tactics was anticipated, said Fedir Venislavskyi, a lawmaker in President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's ruling party and a member of parliament's security committee, adding that efforts were now underway to come up with effective defences.
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efforts → anticipate → defences
Ukrainian officials have reported several successful combat uses of drone interceptors against jet-propelled Russian drones, but their mass production and other potential solutions would require time and money.
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production → report → time
Money is in short supply: Zelenskiy has announced an unexpected defence funding shortfall for this year of $27 billion as the war has become more expensive.
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war → announce → billion
Kyiv is in talks with its partners on how to cover the gap.
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Kyiv → cover → gap
"I believe that we will resolve the issue of jet-powered drones in the short term.
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we → believe → term
But as with all other aspects of buying weapons, everything comes down to financial resources," Venislavskyi said.
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Venislavskyi → buy → resources
The Aporia
