Ukraine’s early advantage in battlefield drone technology is eroding as Russian investment, industrial scaling and technological innovation reshape the aerial landscape of the conflict, particularly in the deployment of fibre-optic guided unmanned systems.

Russia has repeatedly shattered its own records for aerial assaults on Ukraine this summer, culminating in a peak attack on July 9 with the launch of 728 Shahed-type drones. Throughout the war, Russia steadily expanded the reach and intensity of its strikes on Ukrainian cities,