Drones caused 3 out of every 4 Ukraine war casualties, Latvian spies say

Drones are responsible for between 70 and 80 percent of those injured or killed on both sides of the war in Ukraine, according to a new report by a key Latvian intelligence service.

“This makes the war more dynamic at the tactical level, but reduces the chance of either side making a strategic breakthrough,” reads the report by Latvia’s Constitution Protection Bureau (SAB), published Monday.

As a result, the decisive factors in determining the outcome of the war are Western military and political support, the authors concluded.

The report also highlighted a plan by Russia to build a drone production plant in neighboring Belarus with a capacity of up to 100,000 drones a year.

Drone warfare played a major role in helping Ukrainian forces repel Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Since late 2024, however, the drone war has shifted in Russia’s favor, as Moscow adapted to the new technology, according to the Atlantic Council. 

Russian media have reported that the country’s Ministry of Defense this month launched a recruitment campaign at Russian universities, seeking students with computer and tech skills to bolster its unmanned systems forces.

The Latvian report also referenced last year’s disruptive drone incursions around critical infrastructure in Europe, concluding that — regardless of whether Moscow was behind those attacks — they benefited Russia.