Ukraine carries out first-ever interception of Shahed using naval drone platform, military says

Prefer on Google by Tania Myronyshena Photo for illustrative purposes. A crew member of a Ukrainian Navy patrol boat stands at a machine gun during a patrol mission in the waters of the Black Sea, Ukraine, on March 7, 2026. (Photo Nina Liashonok/Ukrinform/Future Publishing/Getty Images) Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces have for the first time intercepted a Russian Shahed-type drone using an interceptor drone launched from an unmanned surface vessel, the military said on April 19. The interception was carried out by a naval drone unit of the 412th Nemesis Brigade operating in the maritime zone. The unit successfully destroyed the aerial target using a drone launched from a sea-based unmanned platform. The development marks a new level of integration between Ukraine's naval and aerial drone capabilities, expanding the country's ability to counter Russia's air threats and adding another layer of defense for Ukrainian cities, according to Nemesis. Ukraine's top drone warfare commander, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, said on April 19 that Ukraine's unmanned systems grouping has begun deploying such naval platforms more broadly. Between April 1 and April 19, Ukrainian drone units destroyed 4,465 aerial targets, including 671 Shahed-type drones and similar loitering munitions, according to Brovdi. Moscow has widely deployed Shahed-type drones in mass attacks on Ukrainian cities since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, causing widespread damage and civilian casualties and prompting Kyiv to develop new countermeasures, including interceptor drones and integrated air defense solutions.