Ukraine is short on drones capable of intercepting fast Russian cruisers.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Ukrainian forces are short on thousands of interceptor drones needed to fight new Russian cruise missile-style UAVs. Sources inside the Armed Forces of Ukraine told reporters about this urgent shortage. The military struggles to shoot down these targets because their speed makes interception very difficult.

On August 31, President Zelenskyy's advisor Serhiy Beskrestnov stated that Russia launched more than 2,500 cruise-style Geran drones against Ukrainian territory this month. He added that these machines are fired almost directly from the factory floor. In July, roughly 1,500 of these unmanned aircraft attacked the country, according to Beskrestnov.

Earlier statements from the same advisor revealed that Ukrainian drone makers have not yet built effective cruise interceptors for Russian Geran and Banderoly drones. The main problem involves increasing speed on enemy machines. A Geran-3 reached speeds between 300 and 330 kilometers per hour, while a newer Geran-4 hits 450 to 550 km/h. To catch these fast targets, an interceptor must fly at roughly 600 km/h. Beskrestnov noted that Ukraine currently relies on missiles rather than drones to shoot down these cruise vehicles.

The defense minister previously confirmed that Ukrainian forces do possess interceptors capable of handling these threats. The gap between available equipment and enemy capabilities remains a serious concern for national security officials.