New drones, deadlier attacks: Dystopian reality in Ukraine

September 30, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The drone war comes home: Ukraine’s new dystopian reality

Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, has visited Ukraine four times since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Her most recent trip, she says, was “probably the most sobering since the very first time I went” in 2022, when Russian forces were still outside Kyiv and the city was virtually empty. On subsequent visits, Kyiv felt like a normal city—well-defended, with occasional air alerts but a sense of safety. This time was different. The city of several million people is now under “extraordinary bombardment,” and the war has changed in ways that bring a new level of terror to civilians and pose serious threats to Ukraine’s survival.

Why Kyiv is no longer safe

Two developments have given Russia a decisive advantage. First, Ukraine has run out of PAC-3 interceptors—the American-made missiles that for years allowed it to defend against ballistic missiles. These interceptors were heavily used in the Middle East during the Iran war, and Ukraine has “hardly got any left.” The result: Russia can now bombard Kyiv at night with ballistic missiles that Ukraine cannot stop.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:21) **Why This Trip Was Different** - Zanny Minton Beddoes explains why she returned to Ukraine now and why the situation is more sobering than it has been since the first weeks of the full-scale invasion.
2 (04:49) **Life Under Relentless Drone Attack** - A description of what daily existence is like for Kiev civilians who now live with constant air-raid alerts on their phones.
3 (06:10) **Inside an Elite Ukrainian Drone Unit** - Beddoes visits the operations center of a specialized drone brigade, describing the dystopian reality of a drone-based war.
4 (08:36) **The Rise of "Safari Hunting" Drones** - Beddoes explains how drones now identify and stalk individual human targets before diving in to detonate, and why this tactic is spreading.
5 (10:16) **Russian Tactics Won't Stay in Ukraine** - Beddoes warns that the drone capabilities being developed in Ukraine are technologically feasible for use elsewhere, citing the recent attack foiled at Leipzig airport.
6 (11:14) **The Starlink Problem and Russia's Counterpart** - Beddoes explains the critical role of Starlink and the dispute over its use for attacks inside Russia, plus Russia's own satellite project.
7 (13:16) **The Innovation Race: Ukraine Falling Behind** - Beddoes assesses the shifting balance of drone innovation between Ukraine and Russia.

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Guests on this episode

Zanny Minton Beddoes

Show Notes

Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, is just back from her fourth visit to Ukraine. She says Russia has ramped up production of missiles and deadly drones, while Ukraine is desperately short of interceptors to resist the onslaught. “[Kyiv] has been under really extraordinary bombardment from the Russians, and they are basically trying to make life unlivable in a city of several million people,” she tells Dave Davies. They also discuss the state of relations between Europe, Canada and the U.S. in the Trump era.

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