The Intelligence from The Economist
The Intelligence from The Economist

Drone truth: Russia has the upper hand

September 18, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Drone truth: Russia has the upper hand

In a street in Kyiv, waiting to meet contacts, Alex Turner heard a buzz—the distinctive two-stroke petrol sound of a Shahed drone, "like a flying scooter." He looked up and caught the triangular shape beetling along. When a Shahed turns and dives, he explains, it's a problem. The Economist's defense editor and his team took cover as one drone was shot down and another impacted nearby. Most Ukrainians were unfazed. But the episode illustrates a new reality: these attacks come with little warning, at any time of day or night, and they are wearing the country down.

What has changed on the battlefield behind the front line

The war in Ukraine has shifted in recent weeks and months, and Ukraine faces a genuinely hard winter. Two connected things are different. First, Russia now has the upper hand in innovation and in the scale of production of strike systems that can hit anywhere inside the country. Second, these technologies are bringing the war to more parts of Ukraine in ever more inventive ways.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (01:14) **The New Phase of the War** - Host Rosie Blore introduces the show's focus: Russia has gained the upper hand in drone and missile innovation, bringing the war to civilian and economic targets across Ukraine day and night.
  • 2 (02:54) **Kiev Under a New Kind of Attack** - Turner describes the changed atmosphere in Kiev, where the rate and nature of attacks have increased, hitting non-military targets like warehouses and commuter trains at all hours.
  • 3 (05:01) **What Changed: Russia's Technical Gains** - Turner explains the specific technological shifts that have given Russia the edge in recent weeks.
  • 4 (06:01) **The Strategic Advantage: Strangling the Economy** - Turner details how Russia's aerial advantage is not about breaking the front line but about crippling Ukraine's ability to function behind it.
  • 5 (07:15) **Ukraine's Counter-Innovation: Jet Interceptors** - Turner explains Ukraine's technological response to the new jet-powered Shaheds and ballistic missiles.
  • 6 (08:34) **Inside a Ukrainian Drone Battalion** - Turner recounts visiting the Nemesis drone battalion, a long-range operations unit that melds intelligence, planning, and drone operations with a commercial spirit.
  • 7 (10:01) **What Ukraine Needs: Money, Tech, and IP** - Turner clarifies the specific forms of help Ukraine requires to close the innovation gap.

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Show Notes

After a visit to Ukraine last week, our defence editor reports on a new phase of the war as Kyiv and other civilian targets are bombarded by Russian missiles. He also visits an elite Ukrainian drone unit. Why alcohol companies are scrambling to innovate. And remembering the life of feminist pioneer Gloria Steinem. Watch extended clips from Insider 


Guests and host:

  • Alex Turner, defence editor
  • Avantika Chilkoti, global business writer
  • Ann Wroe, obituaries editor
  • Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”


Topics covered: 

  • Ukraine, drones, Shahed, Kyiv
  • Alcohol, beer, aperol
  • Gloria Steinem, feminism


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