Ukraine turns to EU’s €90bn loan for US missiles as Patriot shield cracks under Russian barrage

Ukrainian forces have recently begun deploying inexpensive interceptor UAVs to counter Russian Banderol light cruise missiles, according to the Brave1 defense technology platform, which announced the development on September 7. The Brave1 statement highlighted that the Banderol missile-drone is one of Russia's latest developments, used to intimidate Ukrainian cities.

The new interceptor technology, developed by a Brave1 participant, is already proving effective in destroying the Banderols, with interception costs significantly lower than the price of the missile-drone itself.

According to Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat, Russia has been launching five times more jet-powered drones against Ukraine in July compared to June. In response to this heightened threat, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the government to prioritize the scaling up of production of high-speed interceptors capable of countering these jet-powered drones. Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian manufacturers had already developed prototypes and were actively working to enhance the effectiveness of these weapons.