A new level of horror is unfolding over the skies of Ukraine.
asserted
level → unfold → Ukraine
Waves of new jet-powered Russian drones are screaming towards cities at hundreds of kilometres per hour, slamming into bridges and buildings in broad daylight.
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Waves → power → daylight
They fly faster, higher and are harder to shoot down than previous models, and Ukraine's defences are struggling to keep up.
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defences → fly → models
The weapons are the latest evolution of cheap, one-way attack drones used extensively throughout the war.
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weapons → use → war
Until now, the propeller-driven Geran-2 has been Russia's main weapon of choice for mass long-range drone attacks.
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Geran-2 → drive → attacks
Based on the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 with its distinctive 3.5-metre triangular frame, the drones travel at about 185km/h.
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drones → base → km/h
Carrying a 50kg warhead behind an aerodynamic nose, they dive at targets and explode on impact in kamikaze-style strikes.
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they → carry → strikes
Ukraine pioneered defences against propeller-style drones which worked against 90 per cent of the older Shahed technology.
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which → pioneer → technology
So, Russia responded with jet power.
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Russia → respond → power
The original Geran-4 has a Chinese-made turbojet engine, allowing it to travel nearly three times faster than its predecessors.
asserted
it → have → predecessors
The airframe has been reinforced to carry explosives nearly double the weight and withstand the engine's power.
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airframe → reinforce → power
The new Geran-5 blurs the lines between drone and cruise missile.
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Geran-5 → blur → drone
It is also jet-powered, allowing it to reach an estimated top speed of around 600km/h, with a range of up to 1,000km.
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it → power → km
And it can hit altitudes of 6,000m, beyond the reach of typical Ukrainian defences and sensors.
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it → hit → defences
"The new generations of drones represent a growing threat to Ukraine's air defences and to Ukrainian people," says Oleksandra Molloy, senior lecturer in aviation at UNSW and a leading expert in drone warfare.
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Molloy → represent → warfare
Living with 20-hour air raids
"Air alerts are almost always on," resident Svitlana Iukhymovych tells the ABC from her Kyiv apartment.
"
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Iukhymovych → live → apartment
They come on and then they're off.
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they → come → ?
They're off for 15 minutes and then they're back on again as another batch of drones is flying in.
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batch → fly → drones
As drones roar overhead, ballistic missiles can be heard hitting targets "like a crack of thunder" in the distance, adding to civilians' constant state of fear.
"We're all mad in here," Svitlana says, while documenting the torturous sounds of another sleepless night.
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Svitlana → roar → night
In wide use since about midway through this year, the jet-powered drones have enabled Russia to significantly escalate terror tactics in Kyiv.
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drones → power → Kyiv
For several months, civilians have endured large-scale drone and missile attacks almost every night.
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civilians → endure → attacks
Air-raid sirens sound for up to 20 hours, regularly forcing public transport to stop and businesses to close as people seek shelter.
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people → sound → shelter
Russia launched about 1,500 jet-powered drones across the country in July, according to Ukrainian officials.
uncertain
Russia → launch → officials
By September, that number had increased to 3,500, raising concerns Moscow may have stockpiled the drones along with hundreds of ballistic missiles ahead of winter.
uncertain
Moscow → increase → winter
"What we had not fully anticipated was how quickly Russia would develop these jet-powered drones and use them to target everything," Ukraine's Minister of Economy Oleksandr Kravchenko said after a drone hit Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences building last month.
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drone → anticipate → building
Satellite images show Russia built a new major base in the south-western Rostov region bordering Ukraine in just six weeks, which is reportedly capable of launching large numbers of jet-powered drones.
uncertain
which → show → drones
Defence analysts identified eight launch platforms on the western side, with rails installed on two and construction continuing on others.
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construction → identify → others
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was planning to spend $US12 billion ($17.3 billion) on the production the jet-powered weapons and other types of attack drones next year.
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Russia → say → drones
Ukraine is scrambling to prototype new interceptor technologies.
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Ukraine → scramble → technologies
Last month, Mr Zelenskyy said only about 57 per cent of jet-powered drones were being shot down.
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cent → say → drones
That has risen to approximately 75 per cent, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
uncertain
That → rise → War
With schools, shopping centres and key bridges hit, Svitlana says there is the feeling "a drone could hit you at any point, anywhere".
uncertain
drone → hit → point
"But sometimes I just choose to ignore the threat and keep going," the 33-year-old says.
"
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old → choose → threat
I feel like this is a challenge for all of us now in Kyiv, where sometimes you just have to block this constant fear of death."
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you → feel → death
Ukraine is also waging its own large-scale drone attacks deep into Russia, targeting Moscow and surrounding regions.
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Ukraine → wag → Moscow
With its own growing arsenal of cheap, long-range drones, Ukraine has been taking aim at oil refineries and energy sites.
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Ukraine → grow → refineries
At least 496 Russian civilians were killed between January and September, according to figures recorded by the UN human rights office (OHCHR).
uncertain
civilians → kill → office
Across Ukraine, UN monitors verified 2,222 civilians killed in 2026.
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monitors → verify → 2026
Response time drops to seconds
Russia's jet-powered drones are outpacing Ukraine's air defences, with the window to respond significantly reduced.
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drones → drop → window
"Mobile teams now, depending on when they're alerted, can have a matter of seconds to try and intercept these jet-powered drones," says David Kirichenko, an associate research fellow specialising in warfare and autonomous systems at the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank.
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Kirichenko → depend → Society
…and 34 more, not listed.
The Aporia
