23 October 2026
On one sector of the front line, the Russian Sparta drone unit launched about 100 Lancet drones but hit only three targets.
This was reported by pro-Russian collaborator and armed militant Pavel Gubarev.
According to him, this number of drones was deployed over the course of three months of operations by the group under the command of Senior Lieutenant Kirill Ozerov, call sign Nevsky. This period began in mid-June. The cost of a single such drone ranges from 3 to 5.5 million rubles ($37,000–67,000), Gubarev claims.
“The total cost of the drones used, according to rough estimates, ranged from 300 to 500 million rubles,” he said.
According to Gubarev, as a result, only three targets were successfully struck: a self-propelled artillery unit, an infantry dugout, and a kiosk.
Russian Senior Lieutenant Kirill Ozerov, call sign Nevsky, from the Sparta unit. Photo credits: Pavel Gubarev
The rest of the drones were neutralized by Ukrainian air defense. Some of the drones were also destroyed by Russian military personnel due to a lack of coordination between units.
Thus, despite the significant costs associated with deploying the Lancets, their effectiveness, according to the data provided, proved to be low: out of 100 drones launched, only three reached their targets.
According to Gubarev, the unit’s command was wasting expensive drones without proper training, while at the same time submitting reports to higher command claiming successful results.
“There are no issues with the technical aspects of the UAV launches: the soldiers performed their duties conscientiously and competently. The issue lies with the commanders,” Gubarev stated.
Lancet UAV
The name Lancet refers to an entire family of drones and their variants, manufactured by the Russian company Zala Aero.
The drone’s fuselage is equipped with two X-shaped wings that enable flight and maneuvering.
An optical station is located in the front section of the fuselage, the warhead, battery, and electric motor are in the central section, and a propeller is in the tail section.
Russian Product 52-E loitering munition of the Lancet-E system
The drone’s airframe is made of composite materials.
To deploy the drone, the system’s crew sets up a control station in the form of a case and a launch catapult.
The claimed flight range of the drones exceeds 40 km. According to some estimates, based on a comparison of distances to targets hit, the maximum flight range may be around 50 km.
Russian Lancet drone, 2025 version, in the camera of a Ukrainian anti-aircraft drone. Ukraine. Photo credits: Serhiy Sternenko
The drones can be equipped with a KZ-6 high-explosive cumulative charge weighing about 3 kg, which, according to available descriptions, is mounted inside the fuselage using mounting foam. This munition is not intended for this type of use.
According to the Oryx project, the cost of a single drone is about $35,000. This roughly corresponds to Gubarev’s estimate of the drone’s cost.