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In May, units of Ukraine’s unmanned systems struck nearly 180,000 Russian military targets, while Ukraine’s advantage in the use of FPV drones continued to expand, according to Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, UATV English reports.
According to Syrskyi, the Defense Forces currently maintain a 1.5-to-1 advantage over Russian forces in FPV drones. In May, Ukrainian troops destroyed 12.7% more confirmed Russian targets than in April, and this advantage has continued to increase over recent months.
“Around 4,000 Russian Shahed-type drones were neutralized, which is 27% more than the previous month. We also struck approximately 10,000 positions of enemy drone operators,” he said.
The commander-in-chief added that since the beginning of 2026, Ukrainian drone operators have neutralized 12,500 more Russian occupiers than Russia has recruited as new soldiers during the same period.
Syrskyi also emphasized the growing role of unmanned ground systems in frontline logistics.
“Today, a significant share of frontline logistics — including the delivery of ammunition and supplies, the evacuation of wounded personnel, and other support tasks — is carried out using unmanned robotic systems. In May alone, ground robotic complexes completed 12,500 missions. At the same time, their potential is much greater. We could significantly expand their use, but since the beginning of the year we have faced challenges in supplying and equipping these systems,” he stated.
According to Syrskyi, Russia is also experiencing difficulties in staffing its unmanned systems units. Since the start of the year, only 14,500 personnel have been recruited under contract for drone-related units, representing about 21% of the annual recruitment target. He added that efforts to attract large numbers of university students into drone units have also failed to meet expectations.
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