Ukraine's Drone Economics: Forcing Russia Into Costly Air Defense Attrition

Ukraine's shift to domestically manufactured drones has unlocked a strategic asymmetry: production costs per drone are a fraction of what Russia spends on each interceptor missile. A June 2026 barrage of 419 drones across Russian territory, including 60 on Moscow, illustrates the calculus. Even at 95-percent intercept rates, roughly 20 drones reach targets. For Russia, sustained air defense consumption drains ordnance faster than sanctions-constrained production replaces it. The competition will test whether Moscow's manufacturing capacity can match Ukraine's launch tempo.