Ukraine has 1,800 km-range UAVs, works on countering Shahed drones – top official

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development, Minister of Digital Transformation, told Reuters in an interview.

He confirmed that Ukraine is working on drones to intercept the Shahed UAVs.

"There is some testing by certain companies producing ... aircraft that, thanks to specialised software and radars, can strike Shaheds, but this is still in the research and development phase. There are certain results," he said.

According to him, Kyiv has signed a contract to buy 1.6 million drones in 2024, of which 1.3 million have already been delivered, including FPVs.

Fedorov also said that Ukraine has UAVs that can fly up to 1,800 kilometers.

"Russia has improved monitoring of (Ukraine's) drone launches, quickly responding and targeting launch sites. These nuances require constant launch method and connectivity changes."

The Minister of Digital Transformation also noted that the first real use of a drone swarm may take place next year.

“We might see the first real drone swarm uses, though not on a massive scale. The first steps will happen,” Fedorov said.