**Ukraine’s Drone Attacks on Russia Soared in December**
In a significant escalation of Ukraine’s drone attacks, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced that Ukrainian soldiers attacked over 54,000 Russian targets with drones in December.
According to Syrskyi, 49% of the targets were struck by kamikaze drones. This is a major increase from previous months and shows how Ukraine has heavily invested in drone technology to revolutionize the way wars are fought.
Russia’s use of fiber-optic control channels for their drones poses a threat to military equipment during movement. However, Ukraine has started using fiber-optic FPV drones, which expands their capabilities to defeat and destroy Russian military equipment and personnel.
**New Developments in Ukrainian Drone Technology**
The Ukrainian command briefed Syrskyi on high-tech developments in unmanned systems and electronic warfare, as well as countering the latest models of Russian equipment. The general also announced that they are increasing the number of brigades with a reinforced unmanned component and finalizing the concept of using a separate unmanned systems brigade.
Ukraine has delivered over 200,000 domestically-produced drones to front-line units so far in December, according to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
**Russia Hit Hard by Ukrainian Attacks**
Ukrainian troops attacked Russian forces in several directions in Kursk Oblast, and reports from Russian pro-war Telegram channels have echoed this statement. A new Kyiv offensive is reportedly underway.
The Ukrainian Kraken unit killed Sergei Melnikov, the chief of staff of Russia’s Storm Ossetia battalion, and his driver in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast in late December.
Ukrainian forces also downed 61 out of 103 drones launched by Russia overnight, including Shahed-type ones. Another 42 drones were lost during this time.
**Russian Forces Suffer Heavy Losses**
Over the past day, Russian forces suffered 1,730 casualties and had 61 drones shot down. This is in addition to previous losses.
The Air Force reported that most of the drones that attacked Leningrad Oblast were shot down over the terminal of Novotrans, a Russian transportation and logistics company.
**Other Developments**
Russian commander Konstantin Nagayko, who was involved in the 2023 missile strike on Hroza, is in critical condition following an explosion.
Georgian citizens are being urged to participate in a nationwide strike on Jan. 15 to demand the release of detained protestors and to call for new elections.
Russia launched a large-scale drone attack on Kyiv Oblast early in the morning on Jan. 3, killing one person and injuring four others, including a 16-year-old teenager.
Russian forces also launched 81 drones at Ukraine overnight from the Russian cities of Bryansk, Kursk, Orel, and Primosk-Akhtarsk, resulting in casualties and drone losses.
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