Shahed drone interception rate doubled over past four months – Fedorov

Ukraine has doubled its interception rate of Russian Shahed-type drones over the past four months, driven by the expansion of its short-range air defense system and the scaling up of interceptor drones.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said this at a meeting with journalists, Ukrinform reports.

"We continue to build out a short-range air defense system, which has significantly improved the interception rate of Shahed drones. The share of Shahed drones shot down by interceptor drones has doubled over the past four months, even as the number of Shahed launches by Russia has increased by 35% monthly," he said.

He added that over the past four months, deliveries of interceptor drones have increased 2.6 times, which is "a cheaper, faster, and more scalable response to Russia's mass attacks."

"Improving air defense is a systemic effort. Our strategic goal is to reach a stable 95% interception rate for airborne targets," Fedorov said.

Read also: Ukraine's air defenses down 109 of 116 Russian drones in overnight attack

The minister emphasized the growing role of NATO-style after-action review, a standard NATO procedure for detailed analysis of combat operations after completion.

"For us, it has become one of the core elements in building a modern air defense system," he said.

According to Fedorov, Ukrainian forces conduct detailed post-strike analyses after each major attack, examining drone and missile routes, interception points, and the effectiveness of mobile fire groups, electronic warfare systems, and interceptor drones.

"Together with the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and military units, we conduct a detailed review after each large-scale attack. We analyze the flight paths of each missile and drone, interception points, technical parameters, reasons certain targets were not shot down, and what needs to be adjusted in the work of mobile fire groups, electronic warfare systems, or interceptor drones," he said.

He stressed that the after-action review directly shapes "how we reorganize air defense: how forces are deployed, how command is centralized, how regional leadership is assigned, and how we transition from temporary solutions to a permanent structure."