russian Gerbera loitering munition was reportedly downed during a large-scale aerial attack on Kyiv and later seen drifting in the Dnipro River. The video, shared by Exilenova via Telegram, shows the wreckage of the unmanned aerial vehicle floating downstream.
While the exact location along the river was not disclosed, visual analysis suggests the drone was intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses during the recent wave of missile and drone attacks targeting the capital. The Gerbera drone is believed to have been used as a decoy rather than as a direct strike asset.
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Based on its configuration, the drone appears to be one of the Gerbera type loitering munitions, a simplified version of Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drone. Unlike strike-capable variants, the Gerbera UAV is primarily used to imitate attack drones and overload air defense systems with large volumes of low-cost targets.
Russia has increasingly relied on such decoy drones to strain Ukraine's limited stock of interceptor missiles and force early activations of radar systems. These drones often resemble actual strike UAVs in shape and radar signature, but typically lack a significant explosive payload.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the russian military launched a total of 550 aerial targets during the overnight attack on July 7, including 539 Shahed drones and decoys. This volume represents one of the largest single-night drone assaults since the start of russia's campaign of long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities.
The use of imitative drones like the Gerbera reflects a tactical shift in russia's strategy: by mixing real and fake threats, it becomes more difficult and expensive for Ukraine to defend each wave of incoming aerial objects. Ukraine continues to rely heavily on mobile air defense systems, which are challenged by saturation-style attacks.
While the specific outcome of this particular drone wave remains under assessment, the presence of decoy drones in Ukrainian airspace signals continued pressure on air defense forces and a growing need for layered, cost-effective countermeasures.
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