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Recently, drones have overtaken artillery as the leading cause of Russian casualties in Ukraine. However, the king of the battlefield has not been replaced, as Ukrainians have completely innovated how drones function in modern war.
In May, drones were responsible for over 75% of Russian battlefield casualties, compared to an estimated 20% by artillery and 5% from small arms. Ukraine struck more than 89,000 targets with drones in May, which includes manpower, equipment, and vehicles, a 7.2% increase from 83,000 in April. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed that drones have now caught up with artillery in terms of hit percentage. Much of this is driven by the widespread adoption of fiber-optic drones with a twenty-kilometer range, which are immune to jamming and increasingly available across the front. These figures underline a new reality: drones are no longer a secondary force but the main source of pain for Russian troops.
By contrast, artillery, once the dominant killer, now causes just a fifth of Russian injuries. Artillery still fires vast volumes, but its effectiveness is declining. The wear and tear on barrels, many of which have fired well beyond their service life, is making precision increasingly difficult. At the same time, Russia has hardened many of its positions, reducing the lethality of inaccurate or delayed strikes. While artillery crews are well-trained, they rely on stable spotting networks and undisturbed logistics, both of which have come under pressure. Recent numbers show that artillery still hits targets, but in terms of lethal effect, its effectiveness is declining.
The explanation lies in the trajectories of these systems. Artillery is degrading while drones are improving. Drone operators are becoming better trained, coordination with unit-level tactics is improving, and technology is always evolving. Many modern drones are not just flying grenades; they can operate in contested environments, evade electronic warfare, and hunt in swarms, with some even featuring integrated autonomous targeting software.
Some drones are equipped with thermobaric charges for higher lethality, while others use fiber-optic guidance systems that render electronic warfare useless. Direct strike FPV’s are often paired with reconnaissance drones, turning the process almost into a continuous production line of kamikaze strikes.
This increase in usage and tactics is matched by coordination, with notably Ukrainian drone units now operating with leaderboards tracking confirmed kills, pushing crews to innovate faster. Still, artillery remains an essential part of the Ukrainian system. Its function on the modern battlefield has shifted but not disappeared. Mortars and howitzers are unmatched when it comes to area denial and suppressive fire. These are tasks drones do poorly, especially in bad weather conditions or when continuous fire is necessary. A drone may kill a soldier in a trench, but a battery of Mortars can prevent a platoon from moving through that trench in the first place, or allow a Ukrainian assault group to advance to the position uncontested. In high-intensity combined arms warfare, the need to suppress, disrupt, or channel enemy movement is still best handled by traditional artillery. Mortars, in particular, remain indispensable in close-range engagements where portability and fast reaction matter more than pinpoint accuracy or larger explosions.
That is why drones have not replaced anything; they have supplemented and, in some contexts, outperformed conventional systems. The most effective Ukrainian units, like Magyar’s Birds, are those that combine the two. Drones scout enemy positions, drop munitions, and then feed coordinates to mortar and artillery crews. Or, drones disable vehicles, which are then finished off by artillery once stationary. Even low-cost FPV drones now serve as spotters, finishers, or gap fillers for artillery teams, targeting vehicles that artillery damaged but did not destroy, or chasing down retreating troops.
In some sectors, Ukrainian teams are now using drones and mortars together, creating a kill chain that is fast, inexpensive, and difficult to counter. The combination of both systems is where the real advantage lies for the Ukrainians.
Overall, the drone surge is reshaping how Ukraine fights. It is not about one system replacing another but about new layers being added to the battlefield. Drones now inflict the most pain, but artillery still shapes the battlefield. The Ukrainian military has managed to merge both systems into a flexible and deadly toolkit. As long as drone production continues to scale and artillery remains operational, Ukraine will retain the edge in tactical innovation, and Russia will keep paying the price.
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