On the night of July 31, 2025, Russia used jet-powered unmanned drones against Kyiv en masse for the first time. Out of 317 launched drones and missiles, air defense neutralized 291. Some jet-powered drones broke through. According to 24 Channel, this type of drone is responsible for the breakthroughs that regular interceptors cannot stop in time.
Why 600 km/h is a different category of threat
A regular "Shahed-136" flies at a speed of about 185 km/h — an interceptor drone with an electric motor can catch up with it and destroy it. The jet-powered modification Shahed-238 (known in Russia as "Geran-3") accelerates to 500–600 km/h and rises to 9 km altitude. This is no longer a "target for an interceptor" — analysts directly describe it as a cruise missile at the price of a drone.
"Such characteristics make the Shahed-238 practically unreachable for both mobile fire groups and interceptor drones with electric engines."
Analysts, quoted by Focus.ua
An additional factor is the black-colored fuselage to reduce visual visibility at night and a block with 16-channel satellite navigation antennas instead of the four-channel ones on earlier versions. The warhead is up to 90 kg.
What the Defense Ministry admitted — and what it didn't say
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on Telegram that jet-powered "Shaheds" are the main challenge for air defense: the Kremlin is scaling up production, and Ukraine together with manufacturers is seeking technological solutions. At the same time, no specific details — neither timeline nor type of weapon — were mentioned.
In parallel, Fedorov announced the expansion of the private air defense model: companies can form their own groups, receive weapons, and operate under the coordination of the Air Force. The first such group is already operating in the Kharkiv region. This is a scaling up of "small" air defense, which is effective against slow drones — but not against jet-powered ones.
Interceptor drones: impressive statistics with a caveat
In March, Ukrainian interceptor drones destroyed over 33,000 Russian unmanned aerial vehicles — twice as many as in February. The "Nemesis" brigade alone destroyed 60 Shahed-type attack drones from March to April. But all this statistics concerns subsonic targets.
- Against Shahed-136/131 (~185 km/h) — interceptor drones work.
- Against Shahed-238/"Geran-3" (~600 km/h, altitude up to 9 km) — there are "almost no" available solutions, according to analysts' assessment.
- Russia is already integrating technologies that allow jet-powered drones to bypass even those countermeasures that already exist.
The price question: the Iranian side initially asked $1.4 million for one Shahed-238. Even if Russia manufactures "Geran-3" cheaper — it is still an order of magnitude more expensive than a regular "Shahed." But if one such drone breaks through air defense and hits a power substation or factory — the economics of the attack for Russia are justified.
The first confirmed combat use of Shahed-238 against Ukraine was recorded in early 2024; mass nighttime attacks with jet-powered drones became regular in 2025. That is, between the emergence of the threat and public acknowledgment of the problem at the minister's level, one and a half years passed.
If Ukraine does not receive or develop interceptors capable of operating at altitudes of 7–9 km at speeds exceeding 600 km/h, the statistics of destroyed drones will grow — and so will the percentage of breakthroughs by precisely these jet-powered targets.
