In June, Russia's Defense Ministry reported downing a total of 2,368 Ukrainian drones, with an average of almost 79 drones per day across the month. Thus far in July, the Defense Ministry said it has downed 1,516 Ukrainian drones, with a daily average of 89 drones.

Despite the changes in warfare, Russian forces retain the ascendancy and are making slow but steady advances in the east and north of Ukraine. Russia has also caught up in UAV technology after falling behind early in the war, according to military analysts, and like its enemy is churning out drones domestically at a rate of millions a year.

As the war in Ukraine grinds through its third brutal summer, the past week brought a flurry of intense aerial