Russian combat drones again carried out strikes overnight into Friday on Ukrainian targets, bombing areas around Sumy and Donetsk, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Friday.
Air raid alerts sounded in eastern Ukraine, authorities said.
The latest action comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he plans to establish a dedicated drone unit within the military, a move that mirrors Ukraine’s creation of its own drone forces last year.
“We are currently building drone troops as a separate branch of the military, and these should be developed and deployed as soon as possible,” Putin said at a meeting discussing a new state arms programme, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Russia sees a rapid rise in effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicles in combat, Putin was quoted by the Kremlin, noting that about half of enemy targets destroyed or damaged are now attributed to drone operators.
Unmanned weapons have played a key role for both sides in the ongoing conflict. Ukraine created its Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) in June 2024, deploying various drones and developing them with industry partners, including unmanned armed boats and combat or mine-clearing robots.
Putin stressed the need for improved air defence systems amid rapidly evolving aerial warfare, calling for a universal system capable of intercepting all types of incoming threats.
While Russia’s frontline air defences are strong, rear-area coverage is thinner, allowing Ukrainian long-range drones to repeatedly hit military and industrial sites far behind the front lines.
