Ukrainian forces have intercepted and destroyed one of Russia’s newest reconnaissance drones, the "Knyaz Veshchiy Oleg", using a Ukrainian-made interceptor drone, according to the drone’s manufacturer.
Interceptor drones allow Ukraine to counter Russian reconnaissance and attack drones at a fraction of the cost of surface-to-air missiles, reducing pressure on limited air defense stocks. They can be produced quickly, deployed near the front, and used against targets that would otherwise force Ukraine to expend expensive munitions, allowing air defense systems to focus on higher-priority threats such as cruise missiles and aircraft.
55th Brigade crew downs rare Russian UAV
General Chereshnya said its “General Chereshnya AIR” interceptor drone was used to bring down the Russian drone.
The interception was carried out by the “Hrim” crew of the 55th Separate Artillery Brigade “Zaporizhzhia Sich,” the company said.
“The General Chereshnya AIR interceptor shot down the newest and very rare Russian reconnaissance drone Knyaz Veshchiy Oleg,” the manufacturer said in a Facebook post, crediting the brigade’s crew for the engagement.
Russia's rare deep-reconnaissance drone
The company described Knyaz Veshchiy Oleg as the most advanced model among Russian reconnaissance drones.
According to the statement, the drone can photograph territory at a distance of 40-45 kilometers from the front line. General Chereshnya said the full drone system costs more than $100,000.
General Chereshnya's growing role in Ukraine's air defense
General Chereshnya is part of Ukraine's fast-growing interceptor drone industry. The company's Bullet interceptor drone, which entered serial production in October, was already downing Russian Shaheds just weeks after finishing trials.
The firm says it can now produce thousands of interceptors per month and has equipped more than 20 Ukrainian Defense Forces units with its high-speed systems, which reach speeds of around 309 km/h.
General Chereshnya also runs a mobile training program called "Academy General Chereshnya" to speed up field adoption of its drones.
