Ukraine losses at least 10,000 drones a month: The Washington Post
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Ukrainian officials claim the number of losses is much lower; however, the frontline tells a different story.
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DJI Matrice 300 reconnaissance drones belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces fly in Kiev, Ukraine, on August 2, 2022. (AFP)
Ukraine's estimated drone losses are around 10,000 units per month, The Washington Post said on Wednesday. Ukrainian authorities claim that the losses are much less, saying that the figure is closer to 1,000 drones per month.
The newspaper cited a UK-based think tank, the Royal United Services Institute, which gave the ten thousand estimate, contradicting Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who told the WP that Russian forces are bringing down only 1,000 drones a month.
Fedorov talked about introducing AI systems to modernize the country's unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities, admitting that AI poses a threat to the future, but that Kiev will prioritize its own security in the meantime.
Furthermore, Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt has committed $10 million to a Ukrainian startup that produces drones and other weapons, the newspaper reported, citing sources.
The Washington Post added that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has shared Russian electronic jamming weapon technology with Ukrainian and foreign companies to test the performance of their products against what the newspaper described as one of the world's most sophisticated jamming technologies.
The New York Times reported that in the first two weeks of Ukraine's counteroffensive, Kiev's armed forces lost around 20% of the equipment sent out to the frontline, highlighting the ineffectiveness of their offensive strategy and the success of Russian defenses.
The newspaper said that Ukraine has since opted to bombard Russian positions with artillery shells, long-range missiles, and attack drones, in an effort to bring out its losses.
Hospital struck in attack on Donetsk
On Tuesday, Donetsk city center came under "a massive chaotic attack" with plumes of smoke seen for miles as Ukrainian shelling hit densely populated areas during peak hours.
Acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, said that 169 munitions had been launched, including rocket and artillery fire with NATO-supplied munitions.
The city was pounded for most of the day, with explosions heard from 11 am. Four people were wounded over the course of the day, although the state of their injuries is unknown at this stage.
Once again, it was civilian areas that bore the brunt of the Ukrainian barrage, with at least 17 residential buildings damaged in the Voroshilovsky, Kievsky, Petrovsky, and Kuibyshevsky districts.
A hospital was also struck in the attack, while a stadium in Donetsk city was badly affected after a fire broke out due to the shelling.
"What we experienced today was real horror," pensioner Svetlana Ivanova said after she came under fire in the Kievsky district.
"How is it possible to shoot where civilians live? There is nowhere left in Donetsk anymore," she added.
Read more: Kiev using banned mines, NATO munitions to bomb civilians in Donetsk
