Ukrainian soldiers operate a UAV near the city of Bakhmut. Photo: AP

Ukrainian President Mikhail Podolyak's adviser said the country needs at least 3,000 more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to destroy Russian infrastructure.

"How many drones should we use and how many are needed to destroy all Russian infrastructure along the front line? 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 drones of various models. UAVs are the key element of the war," Mikhail Podolyak said on Rada television.

Mr. Podolyak also clarified that Ukraine focused its attacks on the Donetsk, Luganks, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. These are also the four regions that were annexed to Russia on September 30, 2022, after referendums.

Following a series of UAV attacks inside Russian territory, Russian officials have proposed creating an "eagle squadron" to help protect Moscow from similar attacks in the future.

In fact, eagles are always a danger to drones. Even wild eagles tend to be protective of their personal space. But eagles will only be active during the day.

Meanwhile, enemy UAVs can take off at night. They are often equipped with night vision goggles to observe and accurately attack the designated target. However, birds do not have this ability.

On the Russian side, the country is deploying UAVs in swarms, and programming flight paths very carefully to avoid enemy defense systems.

Leaked classified documents from the US Department of Defense have shown that Ukraine is running out of ammunition in its air defense arsenal, especially surface-to-air missiles to counter Russian aircraft. As Western countries struggle to provide more ammunition and weapons to Ukraine, Kiev is expected to use its air defense resources more cautiously and sparingly.