- The biggest Ukrainian drones are striking six times as often compared to last summer
- The middle and deep strikes fray Russian logistics, and deplete the combat power of front-line regiments before they can attack
- Reusable Horynych E-300 drone bombers are part of the escalating strike campaign
Steadily ramping up drone sorties and cruise missile barrages starting this spring, Ukrainian forces are now hitting Russian air defenses, depots and electrical infrastructure in occupied Ukraine and in Russia itself at a rate of around 300 major strikes every month. 10 per day.
The middle- and deep-strike escalation "creates a layered attrition" that's fraying Russian logistics and depleting the combat power of front-line regiments, according to analysis group Tochnyi. "Supplies are attacked in production and transit before they reach the front; and the [air defense] environment over the occupied territory is simultaneously degraded to enable further strikes."
Wondering why Russia's annual spring offensive has, so far, been unusually anemic this year—capturing just 94 square kilometers in April 2026 compared to 226 square kilometers in April 2025? It's increasingly apparent Russian units are struggling to move sufficient troops, ammunition and supplies toward the disputed gray zone. Attacks on supply lines weaken Russian forces before they can even begin an assault.
One-way attack drones such as the Fire Point FP-1 and FP-2 account for a most of Ukraine's 300 monthly middle and deep strikes, but reusable drone bombers are in the mix, too. Dropping bombs and then returning to base for more bombs, the reusable Horynych E-300 and Aeroprakt A-22 two-way drone bombers—built on commercial sport plane airframes that retail around $50,000, with factory-built variants reportedly running $250,000 to $450,000 depending on configuration—help drive down the overall cost of the Ukrainian strike campaign.
The pilotless, propeller-driven sport planes are reusable in part because they're tough—and capable of absorbing Russian ground fire that might bring down a smaller, flimsier one-way drone. A recent image apparently captured by a Russian interceptor drone depicts one E-300 with scores of bullet holes in its wings and fuselage. It's possible the interceptor drone ultimately downed the E-300, finally achieving what the gunfire failed to achieve.
Many damaged E-300s manage to drop their bombs and land safely. Operators from the Unmanned Systems Forces' 1st Center are asking for $23,000 to repair battle-damaged E-300s.
Damaged but flyable
The damage to there-and-back drones is a function of Ukraine's expanding strike campaign. Increasing medium and deep strikes by an order of six in 10 months—from 60 in July 2025 to 354 in March—the USF and other Ukrainian drone forces are increasingly dominating the sky over occupied Ukraine and the nearest Russian oblasts.
"The target analysis indicates that the campaign is organized around three interrelated lines of effort, with the primary focus on dismantling Russian [air defense] systems," Tochnyi explained. "Nearly a third of all strikes are aimed specifically at air defense targets."
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"Alongside this," Tochnyi added, "logistics interdiction emerges as the second major pillar. Strikes against storage facilities, particularly ammunition depots as well as fuel infrastructure and rail networks, form over a quarter of total activity." Those attacks have led to what Tochnyi characterized as "observed reductions in Russian artillery usage."
| Drone | Range | Warhead | Speed | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle-strike drones (gray zone to ~250 km) | ||||
| FP-2 | 200 km | 60–105 kg deployed; planned upgrade to 158 kg | — | Fire Point |
| Zozulia | up to 1,100 km capable; deployed in middle-strike role¹ | 10–50 kg | 130 km/h cruise; 180 km/h max | Warbirds of Ukraine |
| Trembita² | 140–200 km | 20 kg | 400 km/h | PARS |
| B-2 | middle-strike class | 7–11 kg | — | undisclosed |
| Long-range deep-strike drones | ||||
| FP-1 | 1,000 km at current warhead; up to 1,600 km at lighter loads | 105 kg currently deployed; modular 60–120 kg | — | Fire Point |
| Sichen | up to 1,400 km | ~40 kg | 200 km/h | undisclosed |
| AN-196 Liutyi | ≥800 km confirmed; up to ~1,200 km claimed | 50–75 kg | — | Ukroboronprom |
| Bober (UJ-26) | 600–1,000 km | ~20 kg | 150–200 km/h | Ukrjet |
| AQ-400 Scythe | 750–900 km | 32 kg standard; up to 70 kg at reduced range | 144 km/h cruise | Terminal Autonomy |
| Jet-powered drone-missile hybrids | ||||
| Palianytsia | 650 km (claimed up to ~1,200 km) | ~100 kg | 900 km/h | state-funded consortium |
| Peklo | 700 km | ~50 kg | 700 km/h | Ukroboronprom |
| Reusable drone bombers³ | ||||
| Horynych E-300 | ~900–1,000 km confirmed | Up to 300 kg; typical 100–250 kg bomb plus 120mm mortar shells | 100–130 km/h cruise | AeroDrone |
| Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat | ~1,000–1,300 km demonstrated | ~90 kg dedicated payload bay; FAB-250 (250 kg) in dive-bomber config | 160 km/h cruise | Aeroprakt (airframe) |
¹ Zozulia is capable of 2,100 km at reduced payload but currently deployed in the middle-strike role.
² Trembita is a cheap pulsejet saturation and decoy weapon ($3,000–$4,000 per unit), not a precision platform.
³ Both run dual-mode: reusable bomber or one-way kamikaze. Horynych converted unit cost ~$50,000.
Meanwhile, raids targeting the power grid in occupied territories and adjacent Russian oblasts "support both military and occupation functions," Tochnyi noted. "When combined with attacks on telecommunications infrastructure, this demonstrates a broader attempt to degrade operational coherence and administrative control."
The big picture is becoming clearer. Striking increasingly relentlessly with one-way and reusable munitions and drones, Ukraine is slowly achieving from the air what its outnumbered ground forces have struggled to achieve from the ground: dramatically slowing the pace of Russian advances.
