Ukraine's forces are using 30% more strike drones than Russians

Ukraine's defence forces are reportedly using 30% more strike drones than Russian troops.

Source: Brigadier General Pavlo Palisa, Deputy Head of the President's Office, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine

Details: Palisa said that during Russia's counteroffensive on the Kursk front, the Russians had a significant advantage in the use of fibre-optic drones.

In addition, in the first half of last year, Ukraine was far from parity with Russia in the use of strike drones, primarily FPV drones, which affected the pace of Russian advances.

However, the current ratio of front-strike drone use is 1.3 to 1 in Ukraine's favour.

"That is, we are using 30% more strike drones than the enemy. And this is yielding results," Palisa said.

The daily share of fibre-optic drones among all strike drones used by Ukraine's defence forces is 32%, despite existing issues with materials, procurement and contracting, which he said are already known. For Russia, the figure stands at 24%.

"It's not only about quantity but also quality. It must be said honestly that the quality is on par with the enemy, as they are also improving their systems, but we have made a very significant leap," Palisa added.

He explained that this demonstrates how responsiveness and the ability to scale necessary projects affect battlefield outcomes.

Meanwhile, Palisa noted that the statistics refer to the entire line of contact.

"It should be added that in some areas the enemy still maintains a numerical advantage in the use of strike drones, and our soldiers certainly feel this," he said.

According to Palisa, Russian forces concentrate efforts on certain fronts to gain an advantage in the "low sky" – the low-altitude space where drones operate – in order to support tactical successes of their ground units.

Background:

• Earlier in March, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced the launch of a baseline guaranteed supply of drones for brigades, with units to receive FPV, reconnaissance and strike UAVs each month in addition to existing state supplies and other procurement.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also stated that in March 2026, Ukraine's defence forces killed or seriously wounded 33,988 Russian soldiers through UAV strikes. Overall, Russian losses exceeded 35,000 personnel during the month.

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