Ukraine has unleashed a swarm of drones after it reportedly pounded on Russian forces at an unprecedented rate, according to a Ukrainian official.
Between October 30 and November 6, Ukrainian airborne drones claimed an "absolute record" of 335 Russian targets, a figure outlined by Ukrainian Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov in a post on Telegram.
"Last week, our soldiers hit 335 Russian strongpoints: an absolute record," he added in X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
However, these claims have not been independently verified.
The Army of Drones continues to break new records. Last week, our soldiers hit 335 Russian strongpoints: an absolute record. Also, 🇷🇺 lost 36 tanks, 83 armored combat vehicles, 72 trucks & hundreds of personnel. We continue to provide 🇺🇦 Defense forces with drones. pic.twitter.com/HpzZ1vXcTz
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) November 6, 2023
Ukraine's Perceived Drone Kills
Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has extensively developed and used drones to target Russian soldiers, destroy Russian tanks, and even damage Russian warships.
Western officials have sometimes given statistics that differ from Ukraine's though its claims about the destruction of individual pieces or groups of equipment would often be confirmed.
The unverified figures said that Ukrainian drones purportedly destroyed 36 tanks, 83 armored combat vehicles, 18 self-propelled artillery systems, and 72 trucks.
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An employee holds a reusable airstrike drone called Punisher made by the Ukrainian company UA Dynamics during a test in Kyiv region on August 11, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine Needs to Develop Drone Force, Analysts Say
However, Ukrainian forces still have a long way to go before they can catch up with Russia, according to military analysts interviewed by the Business Insider.
Atlantic Council senior fellow Melissa Haring particularly pointed out the lack of drone pilots and sophisticated drones, as well as the poor quality of Ukrainian equipment.
"They're shoddy," she said of the drones. "They're made in Chinese factories, and there's no attention to detail. They're missing pieces. They're broken when they arrive."
The Associated Press quoted Fedorov last September that Ukraine was trying to change the drone assembly line by moving away from China, the world's biggest drone maker, and ramping up the development of its own domestic production.
On the other hand, a Ukrainian official recently claimed that Russia was making drones with engines sourced from Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress and using larger Iranian-made Shahed-136 exploding drones that have helped its forces keep up attacks on Ukraine.
Russian forces also used long-loitering Lancet drones that have been effective in blunting Ukraine's counteroffensive.
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