Drones take center stage in military actions in Ukraine, accounting for 60% of strikes on the battlefield, noted the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. At the same time, Russia maintains an advantage in the number of artillery shells.
Oleksandr Syrskyi in an interview with Sky News assessed the importance of drones in modern warfare, highlighting the near-parity deployment of drones by Ukraine and Russia. Russian forces daily launch between 4,000 to 5,000 kamikaze drones and 1,500 to 2,000 drones equipped with bombs. Ukraine responds with a similar number of drones, often surpassing Russia in the use of FPV drones.
According to Syrskyi, Russia retains a significant advantage in artillery munitions, having them twice as much as Ukraine. However, the use of drones complicates the effective use of artillery on both sides of the conflict.
In July, it was reported that Russia daily uses about 27,000 artillery shells of various calibers, which is 1.6 times less than almost a year ago. In August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted the advantage of the Ukrainian armed forces in the number of FPV drones.
Although drones play a significant role, fully replacing artillery with them remains impossible, as indicated by the land forces of Ukraine.
| Indicator | Ukraine | Russia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of kamikaze drones | Corresponds | 4,000-5,000 |
| Drones dropping bombs | Corresponds | 1,500-2,000 |
| Artillery shells | Less | Twice as much |
| FPV drones | Prevails | Slightly less |
