Four years ago yesterday, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia began by rolling tanks into Ukraine and trying to capture the capital Kyiv, which it failed in doing. Now, the conflict has been transformed. Drones and unmanned systems dominate the 1200-kilometer frontline in Ukraine’s east, hunting down and killing soldiers and civilians. Lacking ammunition and advanced weaponry from the U.S. and European countries, Ukrainian firms have innovated in producing long-range drones that target Russia’s oil and gas facilities, which help fund the war. While Russia began by importing drones from Iran, it has moved most of this production domestically and can produce as many as 500 Shahed drones per day, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
I spoke about Ukraine’s drone war with Olena Kryzhanivska, who writes the newsletter Ukraine’s Arms Monitor. She is a Ukrainian defense analyst currently based in Canada. She began chronicling Ukraine’s arms developments in January 2024, and moved to Substack in 2025. Currently, she is a Senior Editor at the NATO Association of Canada. Listen to the conversation above!
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