"Russia Preparing to Launch Up to 2,000 Drones Simultaneously" ... Claim of Planned Attack on Ukraine Emerges

Russia-Ukraine Conflict Escalates Into Drone Warfare
German Defense Ministry: "Russia Preparing Up to 2,000 Drones"
"China Redirects Drone Parts Exports to Russia"

There has been a warning that Russia is preparing to launch up to 2,000 drones simultaneously at Ukraine. On July 20 (local time), Yonhap News, citing the Ukrainian outlet Kyiv Post, reported that "General Christian Freuding of the German Ministry of Defense, who leads the Ukrainian Situation Center, warned that Russia is rapidly expanding drone production for large-scale use in the Ukraine war."

A Russian soldier is operating a drone during training. Photo by TASS Yonhap News

This is nearly twice the scale previously projected. Earlier, on June 21, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR) stated that "the maximum number of drones Russia can deploy in a single night is 500." Additionally, on July 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "Russia is planning to launch 700 to 1,000 drones per day."

General Freuding stated, "This will pose a serious challenge to Ukraine's air defense systems," and added, "Traditional air defense methods, such as intercepting Shahed drones with expensive Patriot missiles, are not cost-effective."

Regarding ways to effectively respond to Russia's large-scale drone attacks, he said, "We need to devise economically viable countermeasures," and suggested, "An ideal response would cost 2,000 to 4,000 euros (approximately 3.2 million to 6.5 million won) per drone." He also recommended, "It is necessary to strike rear targets such as Russian military airfields, military aircraft, and defense industry facilities."

He also reportedly paid attention to changes in China's policy. He said, "China has redirected drone parts, which it stopped exporting to Ukraine, to Russia," and added, "At present, China is effectively exporting only to Russia, leaving Ukraine pushed out of this market."

On the same day, President Zelensky announced via social media, "Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, together with the Minister of Defense and the National Security Advisor, is reviewing a proposal to secure additional funding for drone production and supply." He stated, "This includes drones to be used on the front lines and drones to protect our cities and communities from Russian attacks. Additional related contracts are scheduled to be signed next week."

From the night of July 8 to the early morning of July 9, Russia launched its largest-ever attack on Ukraine, using 13 missiles and 728 Shahed drones. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, 296 drones and 7 missiles were shot down by air defenses, while 415 drones either disappeared from radar detection or were jammed. The city of Lutsk, located in northwestern Ukraine, suffered the most damage.

Previously, on July 1, Ukraine carried out a large-scale first-person-view (FPV) drone attack on four Russian air bases, targeting 41 strategic bombers. This attack, known as the "Spider Web Operation," caused an estimated $7 billion (about 9.65 trillion won) in damage to Russia, and reportedly rendered 34% of cruise missile carriers at key air bases inoperable.