Russia’s Shahed drones over Ukraine since 2022: A staggering count

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has revealed the horrifying scale of Russia’s use of Shahed-type suicide drones in strikes on Ukraine. From February 2022 to August 2025, the SSU documented nearly 50,000 instances of these unmanned aerial vehicles launched at Ukrainian soil.

This was reported by Slidstvo.Info.

These mass attacks have claimed 253 lives and injured 1,524 people. In total, over 1,600 criminal cases have been opened related to drone strikes on civilian infrastructure.

Russia builds new units for drone attacks

Yurii Belousov, head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict, said that until recently Russia’s military doctrine did not include this type of weapon or a clear command structure responsible for such strikes — but that is changing.

«Gradually they are forming dedicated units, like our Forces of Unmanned Systems… We are beginning to understand who makes the decisions to carry out strikes… We will name specific individuals and hold them accountable in absentia, but I hope it is only a matter of time before real responsibility follows, ” Belousov said.

Ukrainian law enforcement is actively cooperating with intelligence services to gather the evidence needed to bring perpetrators to justice.