Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has urged international partners to allow Ukraine to target Russian drone bases and supply sites as Russia escalates its drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.
“Russia is intensifying its terror,” Sybiha stated on Friday, as he called on allies to authorize counter-strikes against drone launch points and warehouses in Russia, a move he says is critical to Ukraine’s defense.
The demand comes as Ukraine faces an intensifying wave of drone assaults. According to Sybiha, Russia launched 71 Shahed drones on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in a single day, marking a significant increase in aerial strikes. September saw 1,331 Shahed drones deployed by Russia against Ukraine, averaging 44 drone attacks per day. In October, that number surged to 1,908, translating to around 62 drones daily. These drones have inflicted damage across Ukraine, impacting critical infrastructure and civilian areas.
The Iranian-made Shahed drones, used extensively by Russian forces, are launched from within Russian or Russian-controlled territory. While Ukraine has effectively intercepted many of these drones, the sheer volume has taxed the country’s air defense systems. As Sybiha emphasized, allowing Ukraine to strike drone bases in Russia would “reduce the pressure on Ukrainian defenses and save lives by cutting off the source of these attacks.”
Sybiha’s appeal to international allies also includes a request to intercept the drones before they reach Ukrainian airspace. Western partners have equipped Ukraine with various air defense systems, but Ukraine argues that countermeasures within Russian borders could offer a more effective strategy against the ongoing aerial campaign.
