Russian losses to Ukrainian drones surge in early October, Madyar says
Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 5, Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces recorded 2,699 Russian troops killed or wounded, compared with 1,931 during the same period in September, Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, said.
Russian losses to Ukrainian drone strikes surged in early October, according to Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, also known as Madyar. From October 1 to October 5, Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces reported 2,699 Russian troops killed or wounded, marking a 39.7% increase compared to the same period in September and a 76.5% increase compared to the first five days of August.
Brovdi noted that the Dobropillia-Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast saw the largest jump, with Russian casualties rising by 43% from 884 in September to 1,268 in October. Ukraine's General Staff had previously estimated Russian forces suffered 46,230 personnel losses in September, the highest monthly figure since the start of the 2026 war.
Ukrainian drones now account for 70% to 80% of Russian casualties, with FPV drones often carrying enough explosives to kill a soldier outright, according to Oleksiy Melnyk, a former Ukrainian Defense Ministry official.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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