Russia is losing troops at a staggering rate of more than 1000 a day as Ukrainian fighters armed with AI drones launch a defiant fightback, battle analysis has revealed.
Ukraine has launched a string of limited, tactical counter-attacks using drones across the frontline to slow the advance of Vladimir Putin’s troops – inflicting huge casualties.
And a new generation of advanced AI-powered drones are also reaping havoc in previously untouched areas to the rear of Russian forces, The Sun reported.
Logistics trucks have been blasted in Donetsk city and along the largely untouched M-14 southern coastal highway, connecting Crimea with the Russian border east of Mariupol.
And Russian military sources have acknowledged the growing threat as spiralling casualty rates continue to taint tyrant Vladimir Putin’s stumbling “special military operation”.
Putin is being dogged by growing discontent on the home front as thousands of soldiers’ lives are wasted in his “meatgrinder” assaults.
Ukrainian General Staff report Russian battlefield casualties – killed and wounded – totalled 32,980 in April – an average of 1099 per day.
As of Friday, Russia has sustained a total of 28,200 losses, with an average daily loss rate of 1,044, through May 2026.
Ukraine’s successes were revealed days after UK sources estimated that Putin’s four-year war has so far cost more than half a million Russian lives.
But the blood-soaked despot continues to hurl soldiers at the frontline – grinding out slow gains despite appalling losses, UK Defence Analysis research has revealed.
Battlefield reports show his forces are now focused on assaulting fortified Ukrainian urban areas including Dobropillia, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka.
His troops are currently pushing hard in the northern Ukrainian border regions of Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts seeking to create a 20km deep buffer zone and stretch defensive lines.
Kostiantynivka is reported to be under the most serious threat with more Russian forces operating within the city – seen as a staging post for deeper assaults to the west.
But Ukrainian defenders were succeeding in holding back advances in crucial areas – using its new class of world-leading edge AI-powered drones.
Latest varieties – including the fearsome Hornet – only need a human operator to fly the drone close to the target area.
And targets including vehicles and troops are doomed the moment the operator locks on – thanks to AI technology which guides the flying bomb even if signals are jammed.
Ukraine’s fighting spirit and ingenuity was saluted by Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey yesterday.
Mr Healey told The Sun on Sunday: “Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage and defiance – civilians and military alike.
“Ukrainian forces are not just holding the line – they are pushing it back, making gains across the front.
“Month after month, in this brutal war of attrition, Russia is losing tens of thousands of troops with little gain for such a great loss. Putin has none of the momentum he claims.
“Our commitment is clear – we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.
“We are backing Ukraine in the fight today – with drones, training, and cutting-edge kit – and we are leading the coalition of allies to secure the peace tomorrow.”
This story originally appeared on The Sun and was republished with permission.
