Russia can not sustain nightly swarms of 500 drones — Budanov

“Doing it every day is unrealistic," he said, when asked whether the Russian army could launch 400–500 drones per day.

"They will do it periodically. Unfortunately, they do have this capability. They can realistically launch up to 500 drones in a single strike.”

He commented on new technologies the invaders are incorporating into their drones - specifically, that they are switching to 16-channel antennas with controlled reception direction.

“They are upgrading CRP antennas, moving to 16-channel versions,” Budanov said.

On June 25, Associated Press reported that Ukrainians collecting drone debris after a Russian overnight attack found remnants of UAVs equipped with advanced cameras, AI-based platforms, and specialized radio communication systems.

On May 26, Colonel Yurii Ihnat, head of the Communications Directorate of Ukraine’s Air Force, said that Ukrainian troops have learned to distinguish Russian Shahed kamikaze drones from imitation drones by sound.

“The decoys are made so we think it’s a Shahed drone," he said.

"But people on the ground have learned to tell the difference by sound. Visually and even based on flight parameters, it’s clear whether it’s a Shahed or a decoy drone. This takes time and experience."

Ihnat later added that Russian forces are changing their UAV launch tactics in an attempt to evade Ukrainian air defenses and hit their intended targets.