--- title: "Russia Shifts to Mass Use of Jet-Powered 'Geran' Drones Against Kyiv: Share of Strikes Could Reach 80% by November" description: "RBC-Ukraine: Since August 27, Russia has increased the share of jet-powered 'Geran' drones in raids on Kyiv, and by November plans to raise it to 80% through expanded production capacity." date: 2026-09-04T12:56:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/russia-mass-use-jet-powered-geran-drones-against-ukraine tags: [geran-drones, ukraine-war, air-defense, kyiv, russia] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Russia Shifts to Mass Use of Jet-Powered 'Geran' Drones Against Kyiv: Share of Strikes Could Reach 80% by November ![Geran (Shahed) jet strike drone in production: close-up of the combat UAV fuselage](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/04/rossiya-massovo-primenyaet-reaktivnye-drony-geran-protiv-ukrainy/rossiya-massovo-primenyaet-reaktivnye-drony-geran-protiv-ukrainy-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Since August 27, Russia has shifted to the mass deployment of jet-powered drones 'Geran-4' and 'Geran-5', concentrating strikes on Kyiv and the Kyiv region. - The share of jet-powered drones in raids has grown from a third to two-thirds in some waves; by November, the enemy plans to raise it to 80%. - Assessments of air defense effectiveness against 'Geran-5' are contradictory: experts point both to the impossibility of interception by drones and to the high results of Ukrainian air defense. Russia has changed its air attack tactics against Ukraine, moving to the mass deployment of jet-powered drones 'Geran-4' and 'Geran-5', concentrating its main strikes on Kyiv and the Kyiv region. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine citing its own sources. According to the outlet, the change in the nature of the raids is systematic and has been recorded over the past few days. ### Tactical Shift: From Gasoline-Powered 'Shaheds' to Jet-Powered Drones A series of virtually uninterrupted raids by jet-powered drones in combination with traditional gasoline-powered 'Shaheds' has continued since August 27. According to RBC-Ukraine sources, on that day during a nighttime strike, about a third of the 258 attack UAVs were jet-powered drones. In a daytime wave of roughly 140 drones, more than 100 turned out to be jet-powered, with the majority of them directed toward the capital. ### Chronology of the Growing Share of Jet-Powered Drones In the following days, the trend persisted. On September 1, during the daytime, 72 of the 99 launched drones were jet-powered, and from September 2 to 4, the Air Force estimated their share at about half of all 'Shaheds' used. At the same time, the ratio is not stable: in some daytime waves, the share of jet-powered drones exceeded two-thirds. According to media reports, Russian 'Geran-4' drones are capable of breaking through Ukrainian air defense at speeds of up to 500 km/h. ### Plans to Raise the Share to 80% by November Russian occupiers intend to significantly expand the use of jet-powered drones. According to RBC-Ukraine sources, by November, through expanding production capacity, the enemy plans to bring the share of jet-powered drones in attacks to approximately 80%, while traditional gasoline-powered 'Shaheds' will account for only about 20% of total launches. ### Contradictory Data Assessments of air defense effectiveness against jet-powered drones vary. On the one hand, one expert stated that Russian jet-powered 'Geran-5' drones cannot be shot down by interceptor drones. On the other hand, Ukrainian air defense is showing high results in destroying these UAVs. Moreover, the share of jet-powered drones in raids ranges from a third to two-thirds depending on the wave, indicating the instability of the indicator and the difficulty of its precise accounting. ### Goal of the Strikes — Paralyzing Kyiv Head of Ukraine's Disinformation Counteraction Center Andriy Kovalenko stated that the aggressor state is launching small numbers of jet-powered drones at Kyiv in waves to paralyze the city. According to him, this approach is aimed at wearing down the capital's infrastructure and population. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Russia Plans to Raise Share of Jet-Powered Drones in Strikes to 80%, Sources Say](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rosiya-planue-dovesti-chastku-reaktivnih-1788525099.html) - Подтверждает смену тактики, хронологию с 27 августа и план довести долю реактивных дронов до 80% к ноябрю. - [Military Correspondent Lisitsyn Assesses the Role of Jet-Powered 'Geran-4' Drones in Strikes on Ukraine](https://news.mail.ru/svo/71589773/) - Контекстная оценка роли «Герань-4»; экспертное мнение. - [Media: Russian 'Geran-4' Drones Break Through Ukrainian Air Defense at Speeds of Up to 500 km/h](https://www.mk.ru/politics/2026/07/04/smi-rossiyskie-drony-geran4-proryvayut-ukrainskuyu-pvo-na-skorosti-do-500-kmch.html) - Дополнительный контекст о скорости и прорыве ПВО; данные СМИ, не подтверждены официально. - [Russia Changes Strike Tactics Against Ukraine and Tries to Wear Down Kyiv, WSJ Says](https://www.unian.net/war/voyna-v-ukraine-rossiya-menyaet-taktiku-udarov-po-gorodam-13486317.html) - Подтверждает смену тактики и цель изматывания/паралича Киева (WSJ). ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: When did Russia begin mass use of jet-powered drones? **A:** According to RBC-Ukraine, a series of uninterrupted raids by jet-powered drones in combination with gasoline-powered 'Shaheds' has continued since August 27. ### Q: What share of jet-powered drones in attacks does Russia plan to reach by November? **A:** According to the outlet's sources, by November, through expanding production capacity, the enemy plans to bring the share of jet-powered drones to approximately 80%, while gasoline-powered 'Shaheds' will account for about 20%. ### Q: How effectively does Ukrainian air defense shoot down 'Geran-5' drones? **A:** Assessments vary: one expert stated that 'Geran-5' drones cannot be shot down by interceptor drones, while Ukrainian air defense is showing high results in destroying these UAVs.