Since the advent of long-range drones, Ukrainian engineers and military planners have been working to extend their maximum strike range to the fullest extent possible.

Many of Russia’s most high-value targets sit more than 1,000 km away, including airfields, oil and gas infrastructure, defence plants and permanent garrisons. Even the mere possibility that they can be reached forces Russia to react and reallocate resources to protect facilities across a much wider area.

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The success of long‑range – and other – drone attacks depends heavily on the quality of planning, particularly in identifying and bypassing Russia’s air defence system. The first defenсe layer is the most challenging, as it is protected by short‑range systems such as the Tor‑M1/M2 and Pantsir‑S1. This area sees the highest interception rate due to the high density of air defences along the border and near the line of contact.