Russia’s jet-powered drones overwhelm Ukraine, killing dozens

As the warfare drags connected successful Ukraine, its civilians endure the most.

Thirty-eight radical were killed successful the colony of Myla connected August 29, erstwhile a Russian drone onslaught struck an ammunition depot. Another 12 were killed successful attacks crossed the state connected September 1.

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Civilian deaths have sharply increased this summertime arsenic Russia is utilizing jet-powered drones, which alert astatine astir fractional the velocity of a rider pitchy and are much hard to intercept than propeller-powered drones.

Jet-powered drones numbered astir 2,800 successful August, said Ukraine Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat, compared with astir 1,500 successful July, respective times the fig launched successful June. Ukraine has an interception complaint of much than 90 percent against propeller-powered drones, but lone 60 percent against the jet-powered variant, Ihnat said.

(Al Jazeera)

Meanwhile, Russian forces suffered 42,020 casualties past month, Ukraine claimed, arsenic Moscow’s territorial gains dropped to a fraction of past year’s complaint of advance.

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine figures showed Russia’s monthly casualties were lone somewhat beneath July’s 42,860, and good supra June’s 39,290.

Al Jazeera cannot independently verify casualty estimates by either side, but if accurate, these summertime figures – 25.8 percent higher than the casualties Ukraine inflicted successful the outpouring – suggest the precocious Russian casualty complaint is not a passing event.

Russian recruitment rates are thought to beryllium good beneath these figures, estimated by Ukraine astatine astir 32,500 a period this year.

People sojourn a McDonald’s restaurant, the archetypal to unfastened successful Ukraine successful 1997, located successful an country deed by galore rocket attacks successful Kyiv, Ukraine, connected September 1, 2026 [Gleb Garanich/Reuters]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publically shared quality suggesting Russian person Vladimir Putin volition conscript 300,000 oregon much troops this October.

Zelenskyy has said up to 80 percent of Russian casualties were inflicted successful Kostiantynivka, the southernmost of Ukraine’s “fortress belt” of cities successful the eastbound Donetsk region, whose seizure Putin has repeatedly prioritised.

Russian forces are thought to power lone a information of the city, but person infiltrated much than 70 percent of it with scattered idiosyncratic troops sent to driblet supplies and await reinforcements. Ukrainian drone operators person been targeting them steadily arsenic Russia replenishes them, keeping Kostiantynivka a grey country for months.

This week it was revealed that Ukrainian commander-in-chief Mykhailo Drapatyi reinforced the Donetsk beforehand astir Sloviansk and Dobropillia, northbound and southbound of Kostiantynivka, respectively, but kept the Kostiantynivka beforehand mostly unchanged, suggesting Ukraine whitethorn beryllium adopting the maneuver of warring a prolonged rearguard successful this municipality scenery to inflict attritional losses, arsenic it did successful the battles of Bakhmut, Pokrovsk and Chasiv Yar.

Police officers inspect parts of a Russian drone astatine the tract of an flat gathering successful Kyiv, Ukraine, connected September 1, 2026 [Gleb Garanich/Reuters]

The combat for Kostiantynivka has sapped unit spot elsewhere connected the beforehand line, wherever Ukraine has liberated 130sq km (50 quadrate miles) of its onshore successful August, limiting Russia’s wide advance.

Russia seized conscionable implicit 90 quadrate kilometres (35 quadrate miles) successful August, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based deliberation vessel that assesses territorial gains utilizing open-source geolocated sources, estimated.

While inactive a nett gain, this is little than a 5th of the onshore Russia seized successful August 2025.

During June, July and August this year, the ISW assessed that Russia gained steadfast power of 160sq km (60 quadrate miles), compared with 1,440 successful the summertime months of 2025 (560 quadrate miles) – a 90 percent driblet successful performance.

Family members be the ceremonial of section colony person Taras Didych, who was among 38 radical killed successful a Russian drone onslaught successful the colony of Myla connected August 28, successful Dmytrivka, Kyiv region, Ukraine, connected August 31, 2026 [Alina Smutko/Reuters]

Ukraine’s response

Ukraine has turned its absorption from Russian refineries to strikes against Russian aerial defences, radar systems and drone motorboat sites.

Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) destroyed 33 aerial defence elements successful August, bringing the yearly full to 263.

Ukraine besides kept up immoderate strikes connected refineries, hitting 12 successful August, on with 2 gas-processing plants and 3 lipid transshipment terminals, according to its defence ministry.

During the past week, it struck the Yanos refinery successful Yaroslavl, and the Kirishi and Ust-Luga refineries adjacent Leningrad, each 800km (500 miles) from its border.

Petro Ionov reacts adjacent a sedate of his lad Yevhenii Ionov aft a burial ceremonial successful the municipality of Bilohorodka, successful Kyiv region, Ukraine, connected August 25, 2026 [Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters]

These strikes person caused petrol shortages, further hurting Russia’s economy.

Ukraine’s subject quality reported that definite Russian exports had fallen by 80 percent compared with pre-war levels. Oil has been among the hardest hit, arsenic Ukraine has struck terminals and hundreds of tankers carrying Russian lipid successful the Black and Azov seas.

Russian lipid exports from the Black Sea larboard of Novorossiysk fell from 800,000 barrels a time successful July to 350,000 barrels a time successful August, said Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.

“The Russian broadside acknowledges that its Black Sea Fleet ships are efficaciously blockaded successful Novorossiysk owed to our drone strikes and are incapable to run astatine sea,” said Zelenskyy.

“Since the Russian fleet is incapable to supply escorts for the commercialized and shadiness fleet …  one of the solutions being considered is to equip civilian ships with tiny arms, physics warfare (EW) equipment, and subject personnel,” helium said. “We volition hole due countermeasures.”

The strikes connected the lipid manufacture person not lone reduced exports. They person reverberated crossed the Russian economy, creating queues astatine petrol stations and raising prices for consumers.

This week Russia extended a prohibition connected diesel exports to the extremity of September, successful bid to support its service and transport manufacture supplied, and sought to import petrol.

Occupied Crimea, wherever petrol organisation has been restricted to authorities vehicles, has been hard hit.

The Russian-appointed politician of the region, Sergei Aksyonov, said connected September 2: “Fuel supplies to the portion are presently not afloat gathering the needs of the residents. Unfortunately, immoderate residents of Crimea will, astatine this stage, look constricted entree to gasoline.”