Ukrainian Drones Create 10-Km ‘Kill Zone’, Stalling Russian Advance

Cheap, widely available drones have reshaped the war in Ukraine, turning roughly a 10-kilometre corridor on either side of the front line into what soldiers call a “kill zone”. Internal Ukrainian data seen by Reuters show unmanned aerial vehicles were responsible for 69 % of strikes on Russian personnel and 75 % on vehicles and equipment in 2024, far outpacing artillery and mortars. The proliferation of kamikaze, surveillance and bomber drones has blunted Russia’s advantages in troop numbers, tanks and artillery. Large vehicles can no longer mass near the front, forcing Russian units to advance in five- or six-man teams on foot, motorbikes or quad bikes before directing drone attacks. “The enemy sees you completely,” said Oleksandr Dmitriev, founder of the Ukrainian video-feed network OCHI. Ukraine and Russia are now producing drones by the millions each year. Kyiv alone plans to assemble 30,000 long-range strike UAVs in 2025 at an estimated $50,000–$300,000 apiece, according to former drone-force commander Vadym Sukharevskyi. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says domestic industry already provides 40 % of Ukraine’s weapons and aims for 50 % within six months. While Europe has overtaken Washington in cumulative wartime military assistance (€72 bn versus $65 bn), analysts note that Ukraine remains heavily dependent on the United States for air-defence systems and satellite intelligence. Kyiv has seven operational US-made Patriot batteries, well below the 25 it says it needs. The country is also supplementing dwindling foreign artillery supplies by producing 2.4 million mortar rounds of its own. Defence adviser Oleksandr Kamyshin argues the drone arsenal gives Ukraine “months” of staying power even if US aid slows further. Yet analyst Konrad Muzyka warns that drones cannot fully replace artillery firepower in a protracted war of attrition, underscoring the stakes as both sides adapt to the most drone-intensive conflict on record.