Ukraine’s air force expects a record number of Russian drone strikes on its territory this winter, its spokesman Yuriy Ignat said on Sunday, as Kyiv prepares for a second winter of heavy bombing of its energy system, Reuters reported.

the building destroyed in Kyiv by the Shahed-136 Iranian dronePhoto: Oleksiy Chumachenko/SOPA Image / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

Ignat said data for September showed that Russia’s use of Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones would eclipse last year’s figure.

“This fall and winter … a record number of Shahed drones have already been reached. More than 500 (were used) in September,” Ignat said in an interview with national television.

He compared the figure to Russia’s airstrikes in Ukraine last winter, when he said about 1,000 Shahed drones were used over six months.

Attacks on energy facilities last winter damaged a large part of Ukraine’s energy system and forced most cities to cut electricity and hot water.

Despite the strengthening of Ukraine’s air defenses, officials warn of the risk of a repeat of the situation this winter, when the power grid is still far from being restored after the latest Russian bombings.