Ukrainian drones can hit targets 2,000 km away, military intelligence claims
Kyiv possesses drones capable of operating at a distance of up to 2,000 kilometers (roughly 1,243 miles), Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov said on Dec. 27.
While Ukraine does not always provide official comment on claims of drone strikes within Russia, Ukrainian drones have reportedly hit targets over 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the front line.
"From what we can tell — it's no longer a secret — Ukrainian long-range unmanned aerial vehicles can hypothetically operate up to 2,000 kilometers," Yusov alleged in a television interview with the Ukrainian outlet News.LIVE.
"In most other cases, we neither confirm nor deny. I can only say that there is a reason for the explosions."
The Kyiv Independent could not verify Yusov's claims.
Yusov added that all Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory target military and industrial facilities, rather than civilian infrastructure.
Ukraine has recently championed the development of long-range "missile-drones," upgraded UAVs with turbojet engines that can act as alternatives to cruise missiles. Kyiv unveiled its Palianytsia and Peklo hybrids in the second half of 2024.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine aims to produce at least 30,000 long-range drones next year.
Sources in HUR told the Kyiv Independent that Ukraine was behind a drone attack against a Russian naval base in the Dagestan Republic on Nov. 6. The drone hit the port city of Kaspiysk, 1,000 kilometers from the front line.
In May, a Ukrainian long-range drone reportedly struck a Russian radar system in Orsk, covering a distance of 1,800 kilometers (around 1,200 miles).
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