From the inconspicuous basement of an apartment building in Kyiv, Bohdan Velma prepares for what Ukrainian drone operators hope will soon become routine: shooting down Russian drones from the relative safety of desks far from the battlefield. The scene, described in reporting by the Financial Times, reflects how Ukraine’s war effort has shifted into an increasingly technological and remote-controlled domain. Velma, chief executive of the drone manufacturer Tenebris, has been working on systems designed to intercept Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia. Their flagship interceptor, the “Bagnet” (Bayonet), has already entered combat, marking a new phase in an accelerating arms race over Ukraine’s skies.
A few hours after a recent test flight, fragments of a Russian long-range drone were found scattered in a field roughly 200km from Kyiv, underscoring the growing effectiveness of these systems. The Bagnet represents Ukraine’s push to mass-produce interceptor drones that can fly into incoming Shahed UAVs and detonate mid-air. As Russian drone and missile strikes intensify and Ukraine faces shortages of traditional air-defence missiles, these unmanned systems have become a cost-effective alternative. According to Ukraine’s top military leadership, UAVs were responsible for about 70 per cent of Russian drones shot down in the Kyiv region as of March.
Early versions of interceptor drones had significant limitations. They relied on radio frequencies and had short flight times, requiring operators to remain close to the front lines, where they risked becoming targets themselves. This constraint limited scalability and placed additional strain on already stretched Ukrainian manpower. Drone operators often worked from makeshift positions near combat zones, vulnerable to Russian surveillance and strikes. The urgency to overcome these vulnerabilities has driven Ukrainian companies and defence innovators to develop systems capable of secure, long-distance control, shifting the operational model away from proximity-based piloting.
The latest generation of UAVs now uses secure internet connections, enabling operators to control drones from hundreds, and potentially thousands, of kilometres away. This technological shift has opened the door to a distributed air defence model, in which pilots are no longer physically exposed near the battlefield. During a recent test observed in Kyiv, operators guided a Bagnet interceptor armed and then released it into flight. AI-powered software helped identify a Russian drone, highlighting it in a green frame before guiding the interceptor towards its target until the signal cut out. The operators erupted in celebration as the hit was confirmed.
Beyond interception, Ukraine has already been deploying drones for logistics and battlefield support. Near the frontline, systems linked via Starlink internet terminals have been used to resupply infantry positions and evacuate wounded soldiers. These operations demonstrate how unmanned systems are becoming deeply integrated into combat infrastructure. However, long-distance piloting has yet to be fully extended to smaller quadcopter drones used by infantry units. If implemented at scale, experts suggest it could reduce the exposure of pilots stationed close to the front and help address Ukraine’s ongoing manpower shortages.
The manpower issue has become a central concern for Ukrainian defence planners. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated that production of interceptor drones has now surpassed the availability of trained operators. Lyuba Shipovich, co-founder of the NGO Dignitas, told the Financial Times that last summer Ukraine had sufficient hardware but lacked crews. She described a future in which a smaller number of highly skilled operators could be based in secure underground facilities in Kyiv, remotely launching interceptor drones from pre-positioned boxes, selecting targets based on incoming attack trajectories.
Meanwhile, Russia has adapted its own tactics. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have used Starlink devices to guide Shahed-type drones into Ukrainian territory, prompting Kyiv to raise concerns with SpaceX founder Elon Musk earlier this year over unauthorised use of the technology. On the Ukrainian side, companies such as Wild Hornets have demonstrated long-distance kills using interceptor drones guided from hundreds of kilometres away. One reported strike involved a pilot located in a Kyiv hotel controlling a drone that destroyed targets 500km away, highlighting the growing reach of remote warfare.
In an even more striking demonstration, Wild Hornets claimed that one of its Sting interceptor drones was flown from northern Ukraine while its operator was located approximately 2,000km away outside the country. Oleksandr Kamyshin, an adviser to President Zelenskyy on strategic industries, said these developments show that “distance is no longer a limitation.” He added that Ukraine is building defence systems capable of protecting not only its own territory but potentially supporting allied nations in other regions facing similar drone threats.
