Why Russia’s jet-powered ‘Geran’ drones are so hard to shoot down, and what Kyiv’s falling interception rate means for the future of the war

Russian forces have altered their approach to striking Kyiv, launching nearly constant waves of drone attacks throughout the day instead of solely at night. The Russian army is increasingly employing jet-powered Geran drones, which are faster and more challenging to intercept compared to older, propeller-driven models. As a result, the city has adapted to a new pattern, with shops and establishments closing multiple times daily due to air-raid warnings.

An increasing number of residents now seek refuge in shelters during the night. Locals speculate that Russia aims to create chaos and force residents to flee the city. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed these concerns, stating that Russia's strategy is to "wear down Ukraine and Ukrainians" and undermine their daily lives.

Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russian forces launched over 1,500 drones in the past four days, with nearly 800 of them being jet-powered, making up more than half of the total. This is a stark contrast to June, when Russia fired only 300 jet-powered drones, and July, which saw approximately 1,500 of them. The attacks have also become more frequent, with Russia sending multiple drones every half hour, as reported by the BBC.

On August 27 alone, Kyiv experienced 13 air-raid alerts, lasting a combined 15 hours, a record since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Jet-powered drones pose a greater challenge to Ukrainian defenses due to their speed. In winter 2025, Ukraine was successful in shooting down 95–98% of the propeller-driven Shaheds. However, the situation has changed since then. On August 27, Ukrainian forces managed to intercept 88% of all drones, conventional and jet-powered alike; on August 31, the success rate dropped to 79%.

While Ukraine possesses drones capable of taking down the latest Geran models, they currently have only a few hundred of them, which is insufficient to counter the influx of Russian drones. The government is working on developing countermeasures, and sources in Ukraine's defense industry anticipate that a solution will be available within the next month.

As the attacks on Kyiv continue to escalate, the city and its region might be officially classified as front-line areas, according to Ruslan Horbenko, a lawmaker from Zelensky's Servant of the People party. This designation would provide additional benefits such as war-risk insurance, exemption from mobilization, and wage guarantees for utility workers.

A government resolution for this measure has already been drafted. The ongoing Russian strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region have resulted in the loss of 12 lives and over 20 injuries, according to authorities. Among the casualties were six employees of Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine's state railway, who were killed in an attack on a rail depot in the city.