Russia Fires 800 Jet Drones in 4 Days as Kyiv Endures Daytime Raids

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 1

800 jet-powered drones were launched by Russia in four days, Zelenskyy said, with the faster models now making up more than half of attack drones used to wear down Ukraine.
200-250 mph Geran-4 and related Shahed variants fly about twice as fast as older models and beyond the speed of Ukraine’s cheap interceptors, forcing Kyiv to rely more on combat aircraft.
Eight air raid alerts had sounded in Kyiv by lunchtime Monday, as daytime drone waves disrupted businesses, kept residents cycling between shelter decisions and normal life, and delayed emergency crews at strike sites.
38 people were killed Thursday when a Geran-4 hit an ammunition dump at Myla, 15 miles west of Kyiv, triggering hours of secondary explosions in one of the war’s deadliest single attacks.
2,500 jet drones were launched in August, up from 1,500 in July, while Ukrainian engineers race to field faster interceptor drones after lifting interception rates against older Shaheds above 90%.