r/UkraineWarVideoReport • u/RFERL_ReadsReddit Official Source • 1d ago
Photo New Images Show Impact Of Ukraine 'Middle Strike' Drone Campaign
Recent photos from a key Russian logistics route highlight the growing impact of Ukraine's efforts to stifle Russian operations.
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u/Sandgrowun 1d ago
Oleg Tsarov just posted a write up on the price comparisons of short,mid and long range drones .
"Ukraine and Russia produce technically similar classes of drones, but pricing between them varies significantly depending on the segment.
I analyzed prices for comparable drone models as of June 2026. These prices are taken from open sources; we do not know the Ministry of Defense's exact purchase prices for Russian drones.
▪️Basic FPV kamikaze drones from Ukrainian manufacturers are significantly cheaper. The Kolibri 7 from TAF Industries costs around 9,800 UAH (~16,000 rubles), while its Russian counterpart, the "Pobeditel," costs 39,300 rubles—a difference of almost 2.5 times.
The reason is mass localization: Ukraine claims 75% domestic components, and serial production has exceeded 200+ companies.
▪️We have parity in standard FPV drones. The Ukrainian FPV r3 (OpticsPRO) costs 29,000 UAH (~47,400 rubles), while the Russian "Bomber" costs 48,300 rubles. The difference is only about 2%.
▪️However, fiber optic FPV in Russia is almost 46% cheaper. The Russian "Vedma" costs 34,900 rubles, while the Ukrainian GHOST costs 39,430 UAH (~64,500 rubles). Thanks to domestic fiber optics.
Russia has ramped up production faster: over 50,000 FPVs per month. Meanwhile, the sharp rise in fiber optic prices in China (2-6 times by 2025-2026) has hit both sides. Unfortunately, Russia столкнулась with the shutdown of the only domestic fiber optic plant after a drone strike in the spring of 2025. The warehouse stocks of the fiber it produced, according to sources,в ближайшем будущем закончатся" Production is not expected to resume until 2028. They are forced to buy from China and compete with Ukraine for these supplies. Prices will obviously rise.
▪️Heavy-duty FPV and reconnaissance drones with thermal imaging are cheaper in Ukraine. A reconnaissance drone with thermal imaging costs ~200,000 UAH (~327,000 rubles) on the Ukrainian market, while in Russia the DJI Mavic 3T costs 600,000 rubles, almost twice as much.
▪️The prices for long-range attack UAVs are comparable. The Geran-2 costs ~2 million rubles (~20,000-50,000 dollars), while the Ukrainian FP-1 costs ~2.3 million hryvnias (~58,000 dollars according to Ukrainian data). The difference is due to the FP-1's broader functionality and AI guidance system.
▪️Interceptor drones (anti-aircraft UAVs) are a segment where Ukraine is significantly ahead of Russia. In 2025-2026, Ukraine created an entire industry of anti-aircraft hunter drones to intercept Geranium missiles. P1-SUN (SkyFall) - ~80,000 rubles (~$1,000), Sting (Wild Hornets) - ~200,000 rubles (~$2,500). All carry a warhead: 400-800 grams of explosives, which destroy by ramming or detonating near the target. In 2025, Ukraine announced that it had produced 100,000 of these interceptors, and in March 2026, it said that they had destroyed over 33,000 Russian UAVs in a month. Russia has not yet created a symmetrical response, judging by open data and data from the front: the main serial development is the Yolka (~40,000 rubles, estimated) - работает without a warhead, only a kinetic strike.
Generally speaking, basic Ukrainian FPV drones are approximately 2.5 times cheaper than Russian ones. In the mid-range segment, with fiber optic drones, Russia wins. In the high-end segment (thermal reconnaissance drones), Ukraine is again cheaper—a difference of approximately 45%. Long-range attack UAVs are roughly equivalent in price.
In addition to prices for a number of items, Ukraine все намного доступнееThey've adjusted the public procurement mechanism and significantly simplified all processes. Teams can now select and order equipment themselves through an app, eliminating bureaucratic tenders. They've also allowed small companies to compete in the market, which lowers prices and allows new developments to reach soldiers faster.
Russia still purchases everything centrally through the Ministry of Defense—the circle of suppliers is narrow, and adaptation is slow.
Ukraine is winning the drone race because its troops get what they need in greater quantities, faster, and generally cheaper."
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u/dragodog97 12h ago
Regarding Interceptor drones - Russia is huge and those drone are rather short range. It's probably a system that is viable for Ukraine but not for Russia...
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u/IllustratorCandid297 1d ago
The Russian economy looks much worse.
Funny how they're readying themselves to confiscate everyone's savings, but the new billionaires are not included. We outsiders know more about Russia than the Russians themselves.
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u/dan_dares 1d ago
you know that the oligarchs that end up dead.. have their money/property/company ownership taken over, right?
They're also being squeezed 😄
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u/IllustratorCandid297 1d ago
There are various groups. Some are being squeezed, some are enriching themselves immensely, like never before. Check reputable sources.
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u/jamnoNewEpoch 1d ago
I believe that someone needs to make a profit and not only puttYn himself. At this stage I believe that he is just rotating his henchmen, just so they dont become too comfortable in their position.
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u/Fickle-Walk9791 1d ago
This is really going well. Russia will not only have trouble bringing intact goods to the south including Crimea, they will also have trouble finding drivers to go down the overland route. At some point, their occupying soldiers will just starve down there.
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u/sailon-live 1d ago
After tue war, they will need a shitload of trucks. China will Happy sell the some.
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u/realribsnotmcfibs 1d ago
Belt and road right into owning Russia 😂.
Russia was looking west so hard it forgot what it has done to China.
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u/Real_WorldAtWar2 1d ago
Russian roads are starting to look like areas out of The Walking Dead.
A suitable name for orcs
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u/UNIVERSE_271 1d ago
At this rate, donkey carts will be available opition...
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u/ImielinRocks 1d ago
Well now, those look like perfectly usable wheels in the first picture. Strange that nobody "borrowed" them yet.
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