Russian drone surge: Ukraine withstands intensive assault
After a few days of limited activity, the Russians returned to extensively using Shahed drones. From May 11 to 12, more than 200 drones flew over Ukraine. Here, we discuss the background and consequences of these primitive unmanned attacks.
On May 11 and 12, Ukraine was attacked by 108 Russian Shahed drones and other types, totaling 216 drones. This marked a significant increase in the intensity of attacks compared to the deployment of 31 units on May 8, 2025.
It is worth noting that the Ukrainians managed to eliminate 101 and 85 units on May 11 and 12, respectively, using kinetic measures and electronic warfare systems. Nevertheless, some drones managed to hit targets in the Sumy, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, and Zhytomyr regions.
Shahed drones — Russian swarming weapon not so cheap after all
Shahed drones are the most popular weapon used by the Russians, but they come in various versions. The latest variants feature turbojet engines and an advanced guidance system that exceeds a combination of satellite and inertial navigation. However, they are very costly, with a price tag of over a million dollars each.
More popular are the designs from the Shahed-136 family, which are simpler constructs built in a delta wing configuration. These have a length of about 11 feet, a wingspan of about 8 feet, and two vertical stabilizers at the ends.
The drones were initially supposed to cost tens of thousands of dollars when purchased from Iran, but the demand for parts for their production and the Russian requirements for licensed domestic production have driven the unit cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is also noteworthy that part of the payments for Iranian drones were made by Russia in gold.
Shahed drones — Russian harassing weapon
These drones weigh about 441 pounds, with approximately 110 pounds dedicated to the warhead. The remainder consists of fuel reserves and other components for the 50 horsepower Chinese boxer engine, a copy of the German LIMBACH L550 E engine. The fuel supply is sufficient for about 1,553 miles of flight.
The guidance system on these drones is basic and only allows them to follow a pre-planned route. They cannot detect and avoid obstacles, so if one is in their path, they will crash into it. The most well-known incident involved hitting the Chernobyl Arch.
The accuracy of their guidance is far from ideal, allowing them to target areas only the size of a neighborhood. This type of weapon is rarely used against military targets and is generally more suitable for intimidation, such as targeting cities, or as a supplement to other attack means, like cruise missiles.
Over time, the Russians have made improvements to the Shaheds by, for example, painting them black or adding SIM card routers. These modifications enable them to know the location where a given drone was shot down, helping to map the placement and efficiency of Ukrainian anti-drone defenses, which is helpful in planning future attacks.
The Russians have learned to coordinate attacks so that the Shahed drones, traveling at speeds of up to 112 mph, converge over the target with cruise missiles, making it challenging for Ukrainians to defend. In such cases, there is a chance that, for instance, a Gepard protecting a given area may not be able to shoot down all the incoming objects in time.
For this reason, Ukrainians have developed a network of microphones to detect drones early. Then, fighter jets and intervention groups in pickups equipped with machine guns are deployed along the estimated flight path.
