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Ukraine Appears to Outpace Russia in Long-Range Drone Launches as 2026 Begins
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Ukraine has entered 2026 with a clear shift in the long-range strike balance, launching more deep-strike drones than Russia and sustaining pressure that is increasingly visible across Russian territory.
On January 4, Russian air defenses intercepted at least 28 Ukrainian drones approaching the capital, according to Sergey Sobyanin, mayor of the Russian capital. The strikes triggered temporary shutdowns at Moscow’s major airports—Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky—disrupting more than 200 flights, The Moscow Times reported.
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The disruptions came amid a second consecutive day of heavy drone activity. A day earlier, Sobyanin reported 21 intercepted drones, while Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed a total of 29 Ukrainian UAVs were shot down overnight.
According to Reuters, Russian air defenses destroyed 57 drones over the Moscow region in a single 24-hour period ending Sunday night, out of 437 drones intercepted nationwide. The scale points to a shift from sporadic strikes to sustained, systematic pressure.
Russian state media claim that more than 1,500 Ukrainian drones were intercepted over Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea in just the past week. While those figures cannot be independently verified, they underscore the growing tempo of Ukrainian long-range operations.
Ukrainian military-affiliated Telegram channel “Colonel GSh” notes that for multiple consecutive days, Ukraine has launched more long-range drones than Russia. Ukrainian Air Force data indicates that Russian forces launched 468 drones over the same period—fewer than Ukraine’s outbound strikes.
The trend suggests Ukraine has significantly scaled up its domestic production and operational use of long-range UAVs, transforming drones from an auxiliary tool into a central pillar of its strike strategy.
Earlier, drones struck production facilities at Russia’s largest manufacturer of power sources used in military hardware.
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