Latvian spy report reveals extent of frontline losses in Ukraine caused by weapon now deadlier than tanks and artillery
Soldiers from a UAS team of the Striletskyi Special Battalion of the National Police of the Zaporizhia Region assemble a Ukrainian GARA drone before a combat mission in the direction of the city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, on January 23, 2026. PHOTO: Smoliyenko Dmytro/Ukrinform/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
Injuries and deaths caused by unmanned aerial vehicles far outnumber those caused by guns, tanks, artillery and mines in the war in Ukraine.
Drones are responsible for 70-80% of the number of casualties (military wounded or killed) suffered by both sides involved in the conflict in Ukraine, according to a new report by a leading Latvian intelligence service, writes Politico on Monday.
“This makes the war more dynamic at the tactical level, but reduces the chances of either side achieving a strategic breakthrough,” said the Latvian Constitution Protection Bureau (SAB) report published earlier this week.
As a result, the decisive factors in determining the outcome of the war are Western military and political support, the report's authors concluded.
The document also highlights a Russian plan to build a drone factory on the territory of neighboring Belarus with a capacity of up to 100,000 drones a year.
Drone warfare played a major role in helping Ukrainian forces repel the Russian invasion that began in February 2022. However, since late 2024, drone warfare has shifted in favor of the Russian military as Moscow's forces adapt to the new technology, according to the Atlantic Council.
Russian media reported that Moscow's Defense Ministry this month launched a recruitment campaign in the country's universities, seeking students with IT and technology skills to bolster its unmanned systems forces.
The Latvian intelligence report also referred to last year's turbulent drone incursions around critical infrastructure in Europe, concluding that regardless of whether Moscow was behind the attacks, they benefited Russia.
