Built by Ukraine’s ex-defense minister and unit that wrecked $12 billion of Russian gear, new interceptor downs two jet drones over Kyiv
Mykhailo Fedorov and Lasar’s Group commander Pavlo Yelizarov developed the drone in a month, Fedorov says.
Months after the concept was conceived, a new interceptor drone developed by former Ukraine Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov's team, alongside Lasar Group commander Pavlo Yelizarov, successfully downed two Russian jet-powered Geran-5 drones en route to Kyiv, according to Fedorov. The Geran-5 outpaces the Ukrainian Shahed drones Ukraine previously managed to neutralize, posing a significant challenge to the country's air defenses, which manage to intercept only around 55 percent of the airborne threats.
The interceptor's speed enables it to intercept the faster Geran-5 drones before they reach urban areas, a capability confirmed by the two recent downing of the Russian drones by the new system. The drone was officially presented to the public on 12 October, marking Yelizarov's birthday. Yelizarov, who joined Ukraine's Defense Forces in 2022 and later became the deputy commander of the Air Force in charge of defending against small-scale air defense and intercepting Russian drones, established Lasar's Group, which has reportedly destroyed $12 billion worth of Russian equipment.
Fedorov, who once held positions in the Digital Transformation and Defense ministries before transitioning to the private sector, mentioned that the interceptor is part of a series of projects being developed by his team, which integrates engineering, military expertise, and resources. The team is now working on refining the technology and boosting production, paving the way for a fully autonomous version that can identify and intercept Russian drones without human intervention.
In addition, the developers aim to expand the interceptor's deployment to safeguard more Ukrainian cities, as the country plans to produce up to 400 interceptors monthly to tackle the speedier Geran-5 drones. This development aligns with Ukraine's broader strategy of increasing the monthly production of interceptors to counter the faster Geran-5 drones.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
