![\"Vladimir](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_299005721-ead3.jpg\")
\n\t\tVladimir Putin is losing more than 1,000 troops a day according tot he latest analysis (Picture: EPA)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tVladimir Putin is losing more than 1,000 troops a day according tot he latest analysis (Picture: EPA)<\/p>\n
Russia<\/a> is losing more than 1,000 troops a day in Ukraine<\/a> after defending forces started a deadly AI drone counter-attack.<\/p>\n Ukraine has stepped up its own campaign to use the technology across the frontline to slow the advance of Vladimir Putin<\/a>\u2019s troops.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s military reported at least 32,980 Russian casualties in April. As of Friday, Russia had suffered 28,200 casualties in May, meaning Putin\u2019s forces have seen an average of more than 1,000 a day in both months.<\/p>\n Much of Ukraine\u2019s recent successes can be put down to a new generation of AI-powered drones, experts have suggested.<\/p>\n The new Hornet drone has allowed Ukraine to strike Russian convoys that are travelling to the frontline because it can hit targets that are further away.<\/p>\n It means the Ukrainian army can destroy vehicles supplying Russian forces along key roads in occupied parts of the country like Crimea.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a><\/strong> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> <\/strong>alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n The Hornet model only needs a human to direct it close to the target area before it locks on.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t Its AI targeting system has been trained on thousands of hours of videos of Russian military targets gathered over the past four years of war.<\/p>\n The machine also has access to the Starlink satellite network, which is less liable to being jammed by Russian forces.<\/p>\n Last week, videos emerged of fires raging in Russia<\/a> after a recent wave of drone attacks.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said on Wednesday that the \u2018logistics lockdown\u2019 is part of a plan to \u2018deny the enemy the ability to conduct sustained offensive operations\u2019.<\/p>\n It comes after the head of British spy agency GCHQ, Anne Keast-Butler, said Russian forces were \u2018going backwards on the battlefield\u2019 inside Ukraine.<\/p>\n In her first speech since taking the job, the spy chief said Ukraine was pushing Putin\u2019s troops backwards for the first time since late 2022.<\/p>\n She also said there was \u2018new intelligence showing that almost half a million Russian soldiers have now been killed since the conflict began\u2019.<\/p>\n \t\t John Healey<\/a>, the defence secretary, told the Sun: \u2018Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage and defiance \u2013 civilians and military alike.<\/p>\n \u2018Ukrainian forces are not just holding the line \u2013 they are pushing it back, making gains across the front.<\/p>\n \u2018Month after month, in this brutal war of attrition, Russia is losing tens of thousands of troops with little gain for such a great loss. Putin has none of the momentum he claims.<\/p>\n \u2018Our commitment is clear \u2013 we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.<\/p>\n \u2018We are backing Ukraine in the fight today \u2013 with drones, training, and cutting-edge kit \u2013 and we are leading the coalition of allies to secure the peace tomorrow.\u2019<\/p>\n Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_299393787-95a8.jpg\")
\n\t\tA drone struck the Romanian city of Galati, near the border with Ukraine, last week (Picture: AFP)<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_260709900-8fe2.jpg\")
\n\t\tDrones have been central to both sides\u2019 attacks in the war so far (Picture: Getty)<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SEI_298417860-ce0a.jpg\")
\n\t\tJohn Healey, the defence secretary (Picture: Getty)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: Europe warned \u2018the peaceful sleep is over\u2019 after Russian drone incident in Romania<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Nato Article 4 could be triggered after Russian drone hits block of flats in Romania<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: \u2018Serious possibility\u2019 Putin could drag Belarus into Ukraine war<\/a><\/p>\n