Drones carried out over 80% of all Ukrainian battlefield hits against Russia: Zelenskyy

"At least four out of every five successful Ukrainian strikes against Russia's forces are being carried out by drones, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday. The new figure represents one of the highest official estimates of the involvement of drones in Ukraine's battlefield operations. In the spring of 2025, Ukrainian officials had said that roughly 70% of Russian casualties were inflicted by drones."

"In a statement, Zelenskyy's office said that in 2025, Ukrainian troops had struck nearly 820,000 targets with drones. "Each of these strikes is recorded, which helps not only with hit verification but also with the operation of the bonus-based system for assessing military performance," the statement said, referring to a new system that rewards drone squads for video-recording their battlefield engagements. For every confirmed kill, drone units are assigned points that can be used to procure equipment."

"Zelenskyy said that infantry and artillery were still important in the war, but "everything is becoming extremely dependent" on how quickly Kyiv can adapt and build new technologies. "Our bonus-based electronic points system is working to scale up the results of our defense. In December, our units achieved a result of 35,000 neutralized occupiers," the Ukrainian leader said."

Approximately 80% of successful Ukrainian strikes against Russian forces are carried out by drones, with the overwhelming majority manufactured locally. In 2025 Ukrainian troops struck nearly 820,000 targets with drones. Each strike is recorded to support hit verification and to operate a bonus-based electronic points system that assigns points to drone units for confirmed kills captured on video. Accumulated points can be used to procure equipment and incentivize battlefield reporting. Earlier in 2025 about 70% of Russian casualties were attributed to drones. Infantry and artillery remain important, but battlefield outcomes are increasingly dependent on rapid adaptation and new technologies.

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