Enemy attempts to expand “kill zone” in Kherson sector using aircraft-type drones, says Voloshyn

In the Kherson sector, where the number of enemy drones launched into the region has increased, Russian forces are attempting to expand the “kill zone” using aircraft-type drones.

This was reported in a comment to Ukrinform by Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces.

“The number of drones has increased not sharply, but gradually, though quite rapidly. In the same Kherson sector, we’re talking about 700–800 kamikaze drones per day, of which 300–350 are aircraft-type drones and loitering munitions like the Molniya and Lancet. These have a longer range. “They are using jet-powered Shaheds, which also have high speed and long range. The Russians want to strike our logistics and our transport infrastructure; they want to continue striking and expand this so-called ‘kill zone,’ which is why they have increased the number of these drones,” says Voloshyn.

According to him, in general, the strike zone in the southern sector is 10–15 kilometers (on both sides of the line of contact), and in some areas, particularly in the steppe, it extends up to 20 kilometers (specifically due to loitering munitions and aircraft-type UAVs).

“Every day, all these systems are being improved, modified, and modernized. That is why we now say that they can reach distances of up to 20 kilometers from the de facto line of contact, and one cannot feel relatively safe there,” says Voloshyn.

In addition to drone strikes, the Russians have not reduced the frequency of artillery shelling; up to a hundred artillery attacks are recorded daily in the Kherson sector. According to the spokesperson, this is a fairly significant number for such a small section of the front line.

As reported by Ukrinform, in the Kherson region during the week of April 13–19, 2026, the enemy launched nearly 5,500 drones at the region, 900 more than in the previous period.

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