Ukrainian drones have destroyed as many crews in a month as Russia has mobilized.

Loss of Russian soldiers

According to ТСН: December 2025 was the first month in which the units of unmanned systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed about as many Russian military personnel as Russia mobilized during this period.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskiy, reported that according to confirmed data, the enemy lost more than 33,000 soldiers, with actual losses potentially being even higher.

Development of unmanned systems

Syrskiy thanked the military units of unmanned systems for their effectiveness and noted that the past year marked an important stage in the development of drone groupings of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2026, a strengthening of the capabilities of these units is planned.

According to the Ukrainian military intelligence, Russia is actively expanding its drone systems and has already formed separate units of unmanned systems with a strength of about 80,000 personnel, with plans to increase this to 165,500 by 2026 and almost 210,000 by 2030.

Moreover, the fulfillment of Russia's state order for the production of long-range drones exceeded 106%, and the Russian military-industrial complex is already producing more than 400 Shahed-type drones per day.

Counteracting enemy drone systems

The Commander-in-Chief emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are aware of the dimensions of potential threats and are actively working to neutralize them. The task has been set to create specialized units for detecting and destroying enemy drones, control points, and their crews.

In December, Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles conducted about 339,000 operations. Ground robotic complexes carried out a total of nearly 2,100 operations. The number of destroyed targets increased by 31%, while the losses of the opponent exceeded a quarter.

Technical support and new developments

Solutions for the technical support of the unmanned unit have also been found within the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and information systems to support drone manufacturers have been developed.

“Whoever has superiority in quantity and quality of unmanned systems protects more of their warriors and destroys the enemy more effectively,” emphasized Syrskiy.

Recently, a Ukrainian FPV drone destroyed the Russian "Gerbera" for the first time. This was made possible by the FPV interception drone "General Chereshnya AIR," which successfully hit enemy reconnaissance drones such as Zala, Supercam, Merlin, and "Orlan."

Furthermore, it became known that the production of new combat drones "Batiar" has begun in Ukraine.

The growth of the effectiveness of Ukrainian unmanned systems shows a significant evolution of military strategies employed. At the same time, the reinforcement of Russian drone units underscores the need for continuous improvement of Ukrainian technologies and tactics to ensure an advantage on the battlefield.

Facts about the strengthening of technological capabilities on both sides indicate that drones are playing an increasingly important role in modern warfare, and their use can significantly influence the course of the conflict.