Latest news with #YuriyShchygol
Sky News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Ukraine vows to continue drone attacks until there's a peace deal
Why you can trust Sky News Ukraine says there will be no let-up in its punishing long-range drone attacks on Russia until Moscow agrees to peace. The warning comes ahead of Vladimir Putin meeting Donald Trump in Alaska. It was made in a rare interview with one of the key commanders of Ukraine's drone forces. We met in an undisclosed location in woods outside Kyiv. Brigadier General Yuriy Shchygol is a wanted man. There is a quiet, understated but steely resolve about this man hunted by Russia. His eyes are piercing and he speaks with precision and determination. His drone units have done billions of dollars of damage to Russia's economy and their range and potency is increasing exponentially. "Operations", he said euphemistically, "will develop if Russia refuses a just peace and stays on Ukrainian territory". "Initially, we had a few drones a month, capable of striking targets 100 to 250 kilometres away. Today, we have drones capable of flying 3,000 to 4,000 kilometres, and that's not the limit, it's constrained only by fuel supply, which can be increased". His teams had just carried off one of their most complicated and most devastating strikes yet. A massive fire was raging in an oil refinery in Volgograd, or Stalingrad as it was once called. If the refinery is completely destroyed, it will be one of the largest operations conducted. There have been other major targets too, in Saratov and Akhtubinsk. Those refineries are now either non-operational or functioning at only 5% of capacity. Oil is potentially Vladimir Putin's Achilles heel. So much of his economy and war effort is dependent on it. Donald Trump could cripple Russia tomorrow if he sanctioned it but so has appeared reluctant to do so, a source of constant frustration for the Ukrainians. Military activity on both sides has increased as diplomacy has picked up pace. 1:35 In another long-range attack, Ukraine says it hit the port of Olya in Russia's Astrakhan region, striking a ship loaded with drone parts and ammunition sent from Iran. But on the ground, Russian forces have made a surprise advance of more than 15km into Ukrainian territory. Ukraine says the intrusion can be contained, but it adds to fears about its ability to hold back the Russians along the 1000-mile frontline. Russia launches almost nightly drone attacks on Ukraine's cities, killing civilians and striking residential targets. General Yuriy says Ukraine picks targets that hurt Russia's war effort, and it is constantly honing its capability. "Each operation", he says, "uses multiple types of drones simultaneously, some fly higher, others lower. That is our technical edge." How satisfying, I asked, was it to watch so much enemy infrastructure go up in smoke? He answered with detached professionalism. "It does not bring me pleasure, war can never be a source of enjoyment. Each of us has tasks we could fulfil in peacetime. But this is war; it doesn't bring satisfaction. However, it benefits the state and harms our enemy." Whatever happens in Alaska, General Yuriy and his teams will continue pioneering drone warfare, hitting Vladimir Putin's economy where it hurts most.
Sky News
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Long-range drone strikes weakening Russia's combat ability, senior Ukrainian commander says
Russia is finding it "significantly" harder to conduct combat operations against Ukraine because of a rise in Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian weapons supplies, ammunition depots and fuel refineries, a senior commander has said. Brigadier General Yuriy Shchygol signalled these attacks would grow, revealing that his country plans to more than quadruple the production rate of deep strike drones - with a range of hundreds of miles - to more than 2,000 aircraft a month. Ukraine has been intensifying the tempo of its long-range drone strikes against targets inside Russia and Russian-occupied territory since late December - demonstrating what defence sources say is a world-leading capability that the Kremlin is struggling to counter. The mission is an example of how Kyiv remains focused on combatting Moscow's invasion even as world attention fixates on the fallout from a row between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as efforts by Europe to prepare a plan for peace. The comments by Brigadier Shchygol, who coordinates long-range drone strikes for Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, offer a rare insight into the impact of the covert mission, which is also carried out by other branches of the Ukrainian military and security services. "Russia is finding it increasingly difficult to conceal the extent of the damage," the commander told Sky News in an interview at an undisclosed location in Kyiv. "Headquarters have been hit, command structures weakened, and panic is spreading among their officers. Compared to a year ago, conducting full-scale combat operations has become significantly more challenging for [the Russians]." Sky News analysis of long-range drone strikes last month found that since December, there had been a ramping up of attacks against oil refineries in Russia that are used to fuel Russian tanks, jets and warships. The analysis took in strikes officially confirmed by the Ukrainian armed forces. Brigadier Shchygol said "far more" drone attacks by Ukraine are not publicly confirmed. 3:11 In a sign of the importance placed on long-range drones, he said Kyiv's ability to manufacture this weapon has already jumped 100-fold since late 2022 to more than 500 per month. While the officer would not say how many of these drones are then deployed on operations, he noted: "Nothing is just sitting in storage unused." He said recent operations had targeted several storage sites for Russia's Iranian-designed Shahed one-way attack drones - used by the Russian armed forces against Ukrainian military and civilian targets. More than 3,000 Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed, according to the officer, who said: "As a result, their deployment of these drones has significantly decreased." Top secret drone mission Sky News was given rare access to view a drone mission last week at a top-secret area. As night fell, soldiers dressed in black - all members of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, an elite branch of the armed forces - prepared a line of about 10 drones. Each aircraft looked like a giant, grey metal mosquito. The model is called "Lutti", which is Ukrainian for "Fury". One by one, the drones burst into life, a propeller on the back whirring, pushing the aircraft forward at ever greater speed until it took off into the darkness. We were told their target was an ammunition depot inside Russia. "Vector", the commander on the ground, said his drones have a success rate of 70 to 80%. He said Ukraine's deep strike operations are "very important". "We change the war with these drones," Vector said, speaking with a balaclava pulled up to his eyes to protect his identity. "We can show [Russia] that the war can come in their houses, in their towns, cities." Russia's sheer size makes it vulnerable Using drones to strike targets hundreds of miles inside Russia is a complex challenge. But the sheer size of their enemy's country works in Ukraine's favour. The Russian military has weapons sites, ammunition storage areas, oil refineries and military headquarters dotted across its territory and lacks the air defences to be able to protect them all. "We are reaching those targets. The slowing pace of their offensives - and in some places, even Ukrainian counter-offensives reclaiming territory - proves that our strikes are effective and growing more so," Brigadier Shchygol said. A huge planning and reconnaissance effort underpins Ukraine's long-range drone strikes. It identifies targets and coordinates attacks between the different teams. Varying volumes of drones are required for each mission - with some of the most complex strikes needing 100 unmanned aircraft. From farm aircraft to fighter drone The brigadier was speaking in a large room inside a disused building in Kyiv where five examples of different Ukrainian long-range drones were on display. They tell the story of the evolution of vital battlefield technology that began life on a farm. The earliest form of the long-range drone looks like an ordinary light aircraft, with rectangular wings and two propellers. It is a lot smaller than a manned plane but much larger than a regular drone - probably about the length of a car, with a similar wingspan. This model, fitted with a camera and a large fuel tank to fly for long periods, had been used for surveillance for agricultural purposes. It was adapted after Russia's full-scale invasion to conduct reconnaissance and even bombing missions. The idea was then modified further to develop similar-sized drones that look more like fighter jets, with pointed noses and triangular wings. These were designed to hold explosives in the main body of the plane. Some of the drones are remotely piloted, others work via autopilot. Russia's war has forced Ukraine to use technology and innovation to fight back against its far more powerful foe. It has accelerated the use of autonomous machines in an irreversible transformation of the warzone that everyone is watching and learning from.
Sky News
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Long-range drones weakening Russia's combat ability, senior Ukrainian commander says
Russia is finding it "significantly" harder to conduct combat operations against Ukraine because of a rise in Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian weapons supplies, ammunition depots and fuel refineries, a senior commander has said. Brigadier General Yuriy Shchygol signalled these attacks would grow, revealing that his country plans to more than quadruple the production rate of deep strike drones - with a range of hundreds of miles - to more than 2,000 aircraft a month. Ukraine has been intensifying the tempo of its long-range drone strikes against targets inside Russia and Russian-occupied territory since late December - demonstrating what defence sources say is a world-leading capability that the Kremlin is struggling to counter. The mission is an example of how Kyiv remains focused on combatting Moscow's invasion even as world attention fixates on the fallout from a row between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as efforts by Europe to prepare a plan for peace. The comments by Brigadier Shchygol, who coordinates long-range drone strikes for Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, offer a rare insight into the impact of the covert mission, which is also carried out by other branches of the Ukrainian military and security services. "Russia is finding it increasingly difficult to conceal the extent of the damage," the commander told Sky News in an interview at an undisclosed location in Kyiv. "Headquarters have been hit, command structures weakened, and panic is spreading among their officers. Compared to a year ago, conducting full-scale combat operations has become significantly more challenging for [the Russians]." Sky News analysis of long-range drone strikes last month found that since December, there had been a ramping up of attacks against oil refineries in Russia that are used to fuel Russian tanks, jets and warships. The analysis took in strikes officially confirmed by the Ukrainian armed forces. Brigadier Shchygol said "far more" drone attacks by Ukraine are not publicly confirmed. 3:11 In a sign of the importance placed on long-range drones, he said Kyiv's ability to manufacture this weapon has already jumped 100-fold since late 2022 to more than 500 per month. While the officer would not say how many of these drones are then deployed on operations, he noted: "Nothing is just sitting in storage unused." He said recent operations had targeted several storage sites for Russia's Iranian-designed Shahed one-way attack drones - used by the Russian armed forces against Ukrainian military and civilian targets. More than 3,000 Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed, according to the officer, who said: "As a result, their deployment of these drones has significantly decreased." Top secret drone mission Sky News was given rare access to view a drone mission last week at a top-secret area. As night fell, soldiers dressed in black - all members of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, an elite branch of the armed forces - prepared a line of about 10 drones. Each aircraft looked like a giant, grey metal mosquito. The model is called "Lutti", which is Ukrainian for "Fury". One by one, the drones burst into life, a propeller on the back whirring, pushing the aircraft forward at ever greater speed until it took off into the darkness. We were told their target was an ammunition depot inside Russia. "Vector", the commander on the ground, said his drones have a success rate of 70 to 80%. He said Ukraine's deep strike operations are "very important". "We change the war with these drones," Vector said, speaking with a balaclava pulled up to his eyes to protect his identity. "We can show [Russia] that the war can come in their houses, in their towns, cities." Russia's sheer size makes it vulnerable Using drones to strike targets hundreds of miles inside Russia is a complex challenge. But the sheer size of their enemy's country works in Ukraine's favour. The Russian military has weapons sites, ammunition storage areas, oil refineries and military headquarters dotted across its territory and lacks the air defences to be able to protect them all. "We are reaching those targets. The slowing pace of their offensives - and in some places, even Ukrainian counter-offensives reclaiming territory - proves that our strikes are effective and growing more so," Brigadier Shchygol said. A huge planning and reconnaissance effort underpins Ukraine's long-range drone strikes. It identifies targets and coordinates attacks between the different teams. Varying volumes of drones are required for each mission - with some of the most complex strikes needing 100 unmanned aircraft. From farm aircraft to fighter drone The brigadier was speaking in a large room inside a disused building in Kyiv where five examples of different Ukrainian long-range drones were on display. They tell the story of the evolution of vital battlefield technology that began life on a farm. The earliest form of the long-range drone looks like an ordinary light aircraft, with rectangular wings and two propellers. It is a lot smaller than a manned plane but much larger than a regular drone - probably about the length of a car, with a similar wingspan. This model, fitted with a camera and a large fuel tank to fly for long periods, had been used for surveillance for agricultural purposes. It was adapted after Russia's full-scale invasion to conduct reconnaissance and even bombing missions. The idea was then modified further to develop similar-sized drones that look more like fighter jets, with pointed noses and triangular wings. These were designed to hold explosives in the main body of the plane. Some of the drones are remotely piloted, others work via autopilot. Russia's war has forced Ukraine to use technology and innovation to fight back against its far more powerful foe. It has accelerated the use of autonomous machines in an irreversible transformation of the warzone that everyone is watching and learning from.
Sky News
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Inside a top-secret Ukrainian drone mission - as commander says they are 'changing the war'
Russia is finding it "significantly" harder to conduct combat operations against Ukraine because of a rise in Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian weapons supplies, ammunition depots and fuel refineries, a senior commander has said. Brigadier General Yuriy Shchygol signalled these attacks would grow, revealing that his country plans to more than quadruple the production rate of deep strike drones - with a range of hundreds of miles - to more than 2,000 aircraft a month. Ukraine has been intensifying the tempo of its long-range drone strikes against targets inside Russia and Russian-occupied territory since late December - demonstrating what defence sources say is a world-leading capability that the Kremlin is struggling to counter. The mission is an example of how Kyiv remains focused on combatting Moscow's invasion even as world attention fixates on the fallout from a row between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as efforts by Europe to prepare a plan for peace. The comments by Brigadier Shchygol, who coordinates long-range drone strikes for Ukraine's Defence Intelligence, offer a rare insight into the impact of the covert mission, which is also carried out by other branches of the Ukrainian military and security services. "Russia is finding it increasingly difficult to conceal the extent of the damage," the commander told Sky News in an interview at an undisclosed location in Kyiv. "Headquarters have been hit, command structures weakened, and panic is spreading among their officers. Compared to a year ago, conducting full-scale combat operations has become significantly more challenging for [the Russians]." Sky News analysis of long-range drone strikes last month found that since December, there had been a ramping up of attacks against oil refineries in Russia that are used to fuel Russian tanks, jets and warships. The analysis took in strikes officially confirmed by the Ukrainian armed forces. Brigadier Shchygol said "far more" drone attacks by Ukraine are not publicly confirmed. 3:11 In a sign of the importance placed on long-range drones, he said Kyiv's ability to manufacture this weapon has already jumped 100-fold since late 2022 to more than 500 per month. While the officer would not say how many of these drones are then deployed on operations, he noted: "Nothing is just sitting in storage unused." He said recent operations had targeted several storage sites for Russia's Iranian-designed Shahed one-way attack drones - used by the Russian armed forces against Ukrainian military and civilian targets. More than 3,000 Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed, according to the officer, who said: "As a result, their deployment of these drones has significantly decreased." Top secret drone mission Sky News was given rare access to view a drone mission last week at a top-secret area. As night fell, soldiers dressed in black - all members of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, an elite branch of the armed forces - prepared a line of about 10 drones. Each aircraft looked like a giant, grey metal mosquito. The model is called "Lutti", which is Ukrainian for "Fury". One by one, the drones burst into life, a propeller on the back whirring, pushing the aircraft forward at ever greater speed until it took off into the darkness. We were told their target was an ammunition depot inside Russia. "Vector", the commander on the ground, said his drones have a success rate of 70 to 80%. He said Ukraine's deep strike operations are "very important". "We change the war with these drones," Vector said, speaking with a balaclava pulled up to his eyes to protect his identity. "We can show [Russia] that the war can come in their houses, in their towns, cities." Russia's sheer size makes it vulnerable Using drones to strike targets hundreds of miles inside Russia is a complex challenge. But the sheer size of their enemy's country works in Ukraine's favour. The Russian military has weapons sites, ammunition storage areas, oil refineries and military headquarters dotted across its territory and lacks the air defences to be able to protect them all. "We are reaching those targets. The slowing pace of their offensives - and in some places, even Ukrainian counter-offensives reclaiming territory - proves that our strikes are effective and growing more so," Brigadier Shchygol said. A huge planning and reconnaissance effort underpins Ukraine's long-range drone strikes. It identifies targets and coordinates attacks between the different teams. Varying volumes of drones are required for each mission - with some of the most complex strikes needing 100 unmanned aircraft. From farm aircraft to fighter drone The brigadier was speaking in a large room inside a disused building in Kyiv where five examples of different Ukrainian long-range drones were on display. They tell the story of the evolution of vital battlefield technology that began life on a farm. The earliest form of the long-range drone looks like an ordinary light aircraft, with rectangular wings and two propellers. It is a lot smaller than a manned plane but much larger than a regular drone - probably about the length of a car, with a similar wingspan. This model, fitted with a camera and a large fuel tank to fly for long periods, had been used for surveillance for agricultural purposes. It was adapted after Russia's full-scale invasion to conduct reconnaissance and even bombing missions. The idea was then modified further to develop similar-sized drones that look more like fighter jets, with pointed noses and triangular wings. These were designed to hold explosives in the main body of the plane. Some of the drones are remotely piloted, others work via autopilot. Russia's war has forced Ukraine to use technology and innovation to fight back against its far more powerful foe. It has accelerated the use of autonomous machines in an irreversible transformation of the warzone that everyone is watching and learning from.
