Russia produces over 2,500 Shahed drones each month — HUR
Shahed-136 drone debris (Photo: Ukraine's National Guard / Telegram)
As of late May 2025, Russia is manufacturing more than 5,000 long-range UAVs per month, about half of which are Shahed-136 strike drones, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) said on June 9.
Ukrainian intelligence estimates that Russia produces roughly 2,700 Shahed-type drones and about 2,500 decoy UAVs monthly.
These production figures represent a fivefold increase compared with summer 2024. In August 2024, Ukrainian sources told Forbes Ukraine that Russia was producing approximately 500 Shahed drones monthly. Analysts at Defense Express assessed that the number could have risen to 2,000 by December.
In addition to Shaheds, Russia has been actively deploying decoy drones since late 2024. These decoys are made from cheap materials and either unarmed or carry a minimal payload. Their primary missions are to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defense system and gather intelligence.
Since the beginning of 2025, Russian drone strikes against Ukraine have intensified. Forbes Ukraine reported that from January through May, nearly 13,000 strike drones and decoys were launched. The attacks occurred in waves: about 2,500 drones in one month, roughly 4,000 per month in the following two months, then back to 2,500, and again 4,000 in a subsequent month.
In a record-breaking attack earlier on June 9, Russian forces launched 499 air assets against Ukrainian cities. Air defenses shot down or otherwise neutralized 460 drones and 19 missiles.
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