Ukraine reports 90,000 new Russian drone hits since August
The Ministry of Defence states that 302,000 Russian troops were killed or wounded by drones in 2026, a sharp rise from figures reported in early summer.
By Fernando Rojas ·
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced on Monday that its drone units have killed or wounded 302,000 Russian soldiers since January 1. This total marks a substantial increase in attrition rates compared to earlier reports from this year.
The ministry previously disclosed in early August that Ukrainian drones had eliminated or severely wounded approximately 211,600 Russian troops. The new count exceeds that earlier figure by roughly 90,000 casualties. March recorded the highest monthly toll with 33,989 hits, while February saw the fewest at 26,204. Casualty counts remained relatively stable through the summer, with July logging 30,272 and August 29,554. September figures rose to 32,739, and the first 25 days of October added another 27,829 to the annual total.
The ministry attributes the high number of confirmed hits to its verification process. Each strike is recorded in the Delta combat system and subsequently validated by the Brave1 defence innovation cluster. This method ensures that only video-confirmed engagements are included in the official tally.
A ministry statement explained that targeting personnel with drones aims to exhaust Russian human resources and slow their offensive pace. The statement noted that destroying enemy manpower via unmanned aerial vehicles also helps preserve Ukrainian lives by making it harder for Russian forces to approach Ukrainian positions.
The ministry also updated its count of Russian drones destroyed this year. It reported that Ukrainian defences have shot down 408,000 Russian drones since the start of 2026. This figure includes nearly 248,000 aircraft-type drones.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda
