Ignat: Ukraine wants to strengthen the development of drone air defense

The Ukrainian air force command is discussing the issue of strengthening the development of drone air defense, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.

According to him, this issue was raised during a meeting on June 2 by the commander and commanders of the air units.

"We are talking about anti-aircraft drones that help intercept air forces. Crews are being trained in various locations on the territory of our state. New units will be introduced," Ignat said.

The spokesman shared that the meeting was held after Russia launched a record number of targets – 479 air attack vehicles – at Ukraine . As Ignat reported, the Russians used the tactic of using a large number of vehicles at one object with a dive from a high altitude.

"Drone air defense was previously used more by ground forces, since they need to solve the problem of scouts on the front line, who are flying in dozens, hundreds. But reconnaissance UAVs are already being recorded in the depths of the country. In addition, the shaheeds, of course, attack every night. Therefore, the development of anti-aircraft drones, the development of air defense drones is timely and will give increasingly higher indicators," he added.

Yuriy Ignat emphasized that war has already moved to a new, technological level, where robots and drones play a key role both on the ground and in the air.

"He who masters the air will have the key to success on earth," the spokesman emphasized.

Ignat said that one of the largest Ukrainian foundations transferred interceptor drones and related equipment worth 300 million hryvnias to the Air Force, including electronic warfare equipment, mobile command posts, and satellite communication systems.

The equipment is currently deployed in the South and East command units, with the prospect of scaling up to rear regions.

• On April 28, 2025, it was reported that in 2024, the Ministry of Defense allowed more than 300 samples of Ukrainian-made unmanned systems to be operated in the Defense Forces.
• On the same day, Sibiga stated that Ukraine produces 95% of the drones that destroyed 77,000 Russian targets on the frontline in March 2025 alone.
• On June 1, the SBU carried out a special operation "Web", hitting four strategic airfields in Russia. Among the aircraft that were hit were an A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft, a Tu-95 strategic bomber-missile carrier, and a Tu-22M3 supersonic long-range strategic bomber-missile carrier.