Russia has been launching its upgraded, jet-powered "Geran" drones against Ukraine every single day in August, according to BBC Verify analysis of Ukrainian Air Force data, marking an escalation that Kyiv's air defences are struggling to counter. The drones' far greater speed, over 300mph, makes them significantly harder to intercept than older models, prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to warn of an unfolding "horror" over Kyiv's skies and pushing Ukraine's military to seek new interceptor missiles capable of matching their pace.

Ukraine's military said jet-powered drone attacks rose sharply from 350 in June to 1,600 in July and 2,800 in August, with these drones outnumbering slower models in five nightly attacks that month. The weapons, some powered by turbojet engines reportedly sourced from China, were used in an attack on 1 September that killed at least 12 people, including railway workers, and injured 20 more. Four Ukrainian firms are now testing new interceptor missiles, while satellite imagery suggests Russia has built a major new jet-drone launch facility at Tsymbulova, around 109 miles from the Ukrainian border, which has become a key centre for such attacks.