Russian drone expert claims Ukrainian media panic over intensified strikes

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. Relentless, round-the-clock Russian drone strikes against Ukrainian military targets have sparked panic in the Ukrainian media, Dmitry Kuzyakin, an unmanned aviation expert and General Designer at the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions (CIUS), told TASS.

"Since the beginning of 2026, Russia’s successes in the drone war have become so significant that a real outcry has erupted in Ukrainian online circles and the media over lost capabilities and incompetent leadership. Specialized Ukrainian Telegram channels are busy assigning blame and are already painting a picture of a future Russian victory. The enemy has lamented our successes in its information space before, but today this has literally become the prevailing narrative: betrayal, corruption, incompetence, and territorial losses are everywhere. We watch this whining with no small amount of satisfaction. There is only one reason for it: Russia has firmly established itself in the ‘low-altitude airspace’ over Ukraine. The source of the panic in the Ukrainian media is the realization that this is now a permanent reality," the expert said.

Kuzyakin stressed that the intensification of Russian strikes against Ukrainian military targets was a response to attacks by the Kiev regime on Russian civilian infrastructure.

"Strikes by the Kiev regime against Russia’s military-industrial complex, attacks on Russian population centers on election night, and strikes by crewless boats on beaches crowded with vacationers in Sochi have triggered an expected response from the Russian military. Russia has launched a continuous, round-the-clock drone offensive against Ukraine and the Kiev Region," he said.

The expert added that the Russian Armed Forces were continuing to increase the number of UAVs used in the strikes.

"There are no longer distinct ‘waves’ or ‘raids.’ Russia now sends drones against military targets without a set schedule or the need to amass forces in advance, continuously saturating low-altitude airspace with UAVs. The number of our drones in the skies over Ukraine is steadily increasing by the minute. Essentially, this process is virtually limitless, given the low cost of Geran, Banderol, and Gerbera drones and the speed at which they can be assembled," Kuzyakin said.