---
title: "Prutuly Foundation expert: small interceptor missiles will become the main weapon of the Ukrainian Armed Forces against jet-powered 'Shaheds'"
description: "Kirill Liukov, head of the unmanned technologies department at the Prutuly Foundation, stated that the priority for destroying jet-powered drones will be inexpensive short-range interceptor missiles capable of engaging 'Geran-4,' 'Banderol' drones, and cruise missiles."
date: 2026-09-04T11:02:27.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/prutuly-foundation-expert-small-interceptor-missiles-against-jet-powered-shaheds
tags: [ukraine-war, air-defense, reactive-drones, geran-4, drone-interceptors, prytula-foundation, russia-ukraine-conflict]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Prutuly Foundation expert: small interceptor missiles will become the main weapon of the Ukrainian Armed Forces against jet-powered 'Shaheds'

![Ukrainian soldier loading a small interceptor missile into a launcher system to counter Shahed drones](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/04/eksper-t-fonda-prytuly-malye-rakety-perekhvatchiki-protiv-reaktivnyh-shahedov/eksper-t-fonda-prytuly-malye-rakety-perekhvatchiki-protiv-reaktivnyh-shahedov-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Kirill Liukov (Prutuly Foundation) named inexpensive short-range interceptor missiles the priority means against jet-powered drones
- A full overhaul of the air defense system is not required; the key task is the means of destruction and reorganizing combat formations
- Expanding the radar field remains a constant task, since without detection no interceptor will work
- There is a threat of Russia moving to more aerodynamic platforms with even greater speeds
- The Telegraph reports that current Ukrainian interceptors cannot keep up with jet-powered 'Shaheds,' creating tension with the expert's optimistic assessments

Given Russia's massive use of next-generation jet-powered drones, the question of exactly how the Armed Forces of Ukraine will intercept these high-speed targets has come to the forefront. In a fresh column for RBC-Ukraine titled 'Why Russia is terrorizing Ukraine with jet-powered Shaheds and what to expect in the future,' Kirill Liukov, head of the unmanned technologies department at the Serhiy Prutuly Foundation, outlined the key direction of development for Ukraine's air defense: in the long term, the priority in destroying jet-powered drones will be relatively inexpensive short-range interceptor missiles. In his assessment, it is precisely this class of weapons that can engage a wide spectrum of aerial targets — from 'Geran-4' and 'Banderol' drones to cruise missiles — making it a universal and economically sound solution for saturating the air defense system.

### A full overhaul of air defense is not required

Liukov emphasizes that the emergence of jet-powered drones does not mean the need to completely rebuild Ukraine's air defense system. It remains a complex of forces and means within the scope of short-range air defense and combat formations along the front line. According to the expert, the detection system is already working sufficiently effectively against the new threats, and the main question now is not about 'seeing' the enemy, but about the means of destruction and reorganizing combat formations and crews with different types of weapons in line with the enemy's potential targets. This is a fundamental shift in emphasis: if the problem used to be spotting the target in time, now the key issue is what exactly to shoot it down with and how to organize the rotation of crews to ensure continuous coverage.

### The radar field — a constant challenge

At the same time, as Liukov notes, expanding the radar field and other detection sensors remains a constant and no less important task. Even the best countermeasure will not work without timely detection, precise target designation, and guidance. In the context of the wave attacks Russia carries out against Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, this means that each new wave of 'Geran-4' drones is effectively a stress test for the entire 'detection — target designation — interception' chain. According to the Center for Countering Disinformation, Russia's industry is working at an accelerated pace: jet-powered drones are launched at Ukraine almost straight off the assembly line, even without prolonged storage in warehouses, which deprives the Ukrainian side of the ability to forecast the scale of attacks based on the enemy's stockpiles.

### The threat of aerodynamic platforms and rising speeds

Liukov's forecast regarding the evolution of aerial threats deserves separate attention. The expert expresses concern that the enemy will move to more aerodynamic platforms, thanks to which the cruise and maximum speeds of the drones will increase even further. The engine installed on the 'Geran-4' has significantly greater potential than what is currently realized in combination with a Shahed-like glider. This means that in the future the speeds of jet-powered drones will rise, while the time available for an air defense crew to make a decision and guide the interceptor will shrink. This is precisely why, in the expert's logic, the answer is not a single 'universal' air defense system, but saturating the combat formation with inexpensive means of destruction capable of quickly reconfiguring to a changing target profile.

### Contradictory data

In assessments of the effectiveness of current interception means, a notable divergence is observed. On the one hand, Kirill Liukov states in his column for RBC-Ukraine that the detection system 'is already working sufficiently effectively against the new threats,' and that the problem reduces to the means of destruction and the organization of crews. On the other hand, the British newspaper The Telegraph, citing Ukrainian sources (the material was published on zn.ua), claims that 'Ukrainian interceptors cannot keep up with the jet-powered Shaheds,' i.e., it records a systemic lack of interception tempo at the current stage. These two positions are not necessarily mutually exclusive: the first describes the strategic architecture and potential of the system, while the second reflects the tactical reality of specific night shifts, when wave after wave of jet-powered UAVs overloads the available guidance channels. Nevertheless, it is important for the reader to understand that the expert's forecast about 'inexpensive interceptor missiles' is precisely a forecast of development, not a statement of the already accomplished fact of saturating air defense with such weapons.

### Context: Ukrainian jet-powered interceptors in development

In parallel with the discussion about short-range air defense missiles, open sources record work on an alternative direction — jet-powered interceptor drones. According to ura-inform.com and ukranews.com, Ukraine is testing its own jet-powered interceptors with a speed of over 600 km/h, designed specifically to counter jet-powered 'Shaheds.' This direction may complement the missile systems and give short-range air defense crews an additional tool with a shorter reaction time. Thus, the strategy described by Liukov is implemented not through a single type of weapon, but through a combination of inexpensive missiles, prospective interceptor UAVs, and the continuous expansion of the sensor field — it is precisely this multi-layered approach, in the expert's view, that will allow Ukraine to hold the sky over its cities in conditions where the enemy is mastering ever faster and more aerodynamic platforms.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Expert forecast how the Ukrainian Armed Forces will destroy jet-powered drones in the future](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ekspert-sprognozuvav-chim-zsu-nishchitimut-1788518106.html) - Первичный источник колонки Кирилла Люкова. Все прямые цитаты и тезисы из базы статьи соответствуют заголовку и тематике материала.
- [Russia uses jet-powered 'Shaheds': Ukrainian interceptors cannot keep up with them — The Telegraph](https://zn.ua/war/rossija-primenjaet-reaktivnye-shakhedy-ukrainskie-perekhvatchiki-ne-uspevajut-za-nimi-the-telegraph.html) - Использован для блока «Противоречивые данные»: фиксирует тактическую проблему нехватки темпа перехвата, что создаёт напряжение с общей оценкой Люкова.
- [Ukraine tests jet-powered interceptor drones: speed over 600 km/h](https://ura-inform.com/obshhestvo/2026/08/14/ukraina-ispytyvaet-reaktivnye-drony-perehvatchiki-skorost-svyshe-600-kmch/) - Подтверждает параллельную разработку реактивных перехватчиков-БПЛА как дополнения к ракетным средствам ПВО.
- [First Ukrainian jet-powered interceptor drones for fighting jet-powered Shaheds are undergoing ...](https://ukranews.com/news/1168669-pervye-ukrainskie-reaktivnye-drony-perehvatchiki-dlya-borby-s-reaktivnymi-shahidami-prohodyat) - Дополнительное подтверждение факта испытаний украинских реактивных перехватчиков; согласуется с контекстом статьи.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: According to Kirill Liukov, what will become the main means against jet-powered drones?
**A:** The expert names relatively inexpensive short-range interceptor missiles capable of engaging a wide spectrum of targets — from 'Geran-4' and 'Banderol' drones to cruise missiles.

### Q: Does Ukraine need to completely rebuild its air defense system because of jet-powered drones?
**A:** No, according to Liukov's assessment, a full overhaul is not required. The system remains a complex of short-range air defense and combat formations along the front. The main task is the means of destruction and reorganizing crews, not changing the architecture.

### Q: What threat is expected in the future regarding drone speeds?
**A:** Liukov fears Russia's move to more aerodynamic platforms. The 'Geran-4' engine has significant unrealized potential, so the speeds of jet-powered drones are forecast to rise.

### Q: Is there a contradiction in the assessments of air defense effectiveness?
**A:** Yes. Liukov notes that the detection system works effectively, and the problem lies in the means of destruction. The Telegraph, meanwhile, reports that current interceptors cannot keep up with jet-powered 'Shaheds.' This reflects the difference between the strategic potential of the system and the tactical reality of specific attacks.

### Q: Is Ukraine working on its own jet-powered interceptors?
**A:** Yes. According to ura-inform.com and ukranews.com, Ukraine is testing jet-powered interceptor drones with a speed of over 600 km/h, designed specifically to counter jet-powered 'Shaheds.'