Zelensky: SBU military counterintelligence deploys new drone interceptor against Russian 'Geran-5'
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 19 that the SBU's military counterintelligence created a new interceptor drone and used it successfully against Russian reactive "Geran-5" Shahed-type drones, including twice in a single day. Zelensky said he was informed of the results by acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, and published video footage of the intercept. The development comes as Ukraine faces an interception gap with faster reactive drones and is testing multiple interceptor models while seeking to scale up production.
Key points
- Zelensky announced a new SBU military counterintelligence drone interceptor has been created and used successfully against reactive Shahed-type drones.
- SBU fighters shot down a Russian 'Geran-5' using the new interceptor, and successfully used it a second time the same day, according to Zelensky.
- Zelensky said he was briefed by acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad on September 19, who reported a 'good result' in countering reactive Shaheds.
- Published video showed the interception; one outlet says the footage showed the 'Geran-5' flying at approximately 600 km/h.
- Air Force spokesperson figures cited in coverage: ~90% interception rate for traditional Shaheds versus ~60% for turbo-Shaheds.
- Ukraine's Armed Forces are testing four prospective interceptor-drone models on the frontline, with about ten more manufacturers testing their own designs.
- Mass serial production of the countermeasures has not yet begun; Zelensky thanked developers and manufacturers working on scaling up production.
Why it matters
The new SBU-developed interceptor is the first publicly shown Ukrainian turbojet countermeasure against Russia's faster reactive drones, addressing an interception gap where Ukraine reportedly downs about 90% of traditional Shaheds but only about 60% of turbo-Shaheds. The development signals domestic progress on a threat that intensified when Russia roughly quintupled its use of reactive drones in July, and Zelensky used the moment to underline parallel industry work — 67 companies reportedly engaged, 3–5 already showing results — while acknowledging that mass serial production has not yet begun.
What happened
On September 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had been briefed by acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, who reported a 'good result' from the SBU's military counterintelligence in countering reactive 'Shahed' drones. Zelensky announced that a new drone interceptor developed by SBU military counterintelligence had been created and already successfully used. According to Zelensky, SBU fighters shot down a Russian 'Geran-5' — a modernized reactive Shahed reported to fly at roughly 600 km/h — and used the new interceptor a second time successfully the same day. Zelensky and the SBU published video footage of the interception, marking the first time the new Ukrainian turbojet interceptor had been shown publicly in use. Zelensky thanked the developers and manufacturers working to scale up production of the weapons Ukraine needs, noting Ukraine is moving 'step by step' to expand protection, while experts and officials cited in coverage stressed that mass serial production of such countermeasures has not yet begun.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sources are Ukrainian-language outlets and agencies, and they uniformly center Zelensky as the primary communicator of the news. Coverage frames the announcement as a domestic defense-industry achievement, crediting SBU military counterintelligence as the developer and praising developers and manufacturers working on scaling up production. Several pieces emphasize that Ukraine is moving 'step by step' to expand protection, while also noting that mass serial production has not yet started. Context is layered with earlier Zelensky statements, the Ministry of Defense's end-of-August codification of the Alexa Spatium UAV as Ukraine's 'first reactive drone interceptor,' and Air Force figures comparing interception rates of traditional versus turbo-Shaheds. Ukrainian experts cited — aviation expert Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi and presidential technology adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov (call sign 'Flash') — provide critical context, saying Ukraine's response to reactive UAVs came late and that the window to organize countermeasures runs until the end of September.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the date of the Poklad-to-Zelensky briefing: one article dates it to September 18, while the rest place it on September 19.
Background
Russia roughly quintupled its use of reactive drones in July compared with a prior baseline, and the reactive 'Geran-5' is reported to fly at around 600 km/h and to be difficult to engage with classical air-defense methods. Ukraine's Armed Forces are testing four prospective interceptor-drone models on the frontline, with about ten additional manufacturers undergoing tests of their own designs. At the end of August, the Ministry of Defense reported the codification of the Alexa Spatium UAV as Ukraine's 'first reactive drone interceptor,' and the Armed Forces reportedly received a reactive drone interceptor into service on August 21. On September 6, Zelensky announced a 'Plan B' for countering reactive drones, and on September 15 and 17 he reported successful tests of interceptors, with one test noting that control aspects still needed refinement. Zelensky has previously said 67 Ukrainian companies are working on technologies for shooting down reactive drones, with 3–5 already having shown results, and has said two companies' interceptors have passed combat tests while Ukraine seeks financing to move to mass production.