# Ukrainian Drone Commander Warns NATO Is Not Ready for Modern Drone and Missile Warfare

*Saturday, September 5, 2026 at 2:06 PM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-05T14:06:23.056Z (1h ago)
**Category**: conflict | **Region**: Eastern Europe
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/16961.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces commander Magyar says NATO countries underestimate how unprepared they are for today’s drone-heavy wars, as he expects Vladimir Putin to mobilize more forces and intensify missile and Shahed drone attacks while concentrating strikes on infrastructure and civilians.

Ukraine’s top drone warfare commander has warned that NATO members are underestimating their own vulnerability to the kind of drone and missile campaigns now hitting his country.

Magyar, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said NATO countries underestimate their readiness for modern warfare built around massed drones and long-range strikes. He expects Russian President Vladimir Putin to mobilize more troops and increase both conventional and jet-powered Shahed drone attacks, alongside larger, simultaneous missile salvos against Ukraine.

According to Magyar, Russia is shifting more of its fire toward infrastructure and civilian areas because it has not been able to break Ukrainian defenses at the front. He said this pattern of targeting allows Moscow to keep pressure on Ukraine’s population and economy even when ground advances stall.

For Ukrainian civilians, that shift means more frequent air-raid alerts and greater risk that strikes on energy or transport sites will damage nearby homes and streets. For repair crews and emergency workers, each new wave of attacks turns basic services into a race to restore power, fuel and water between barrages.

Magyar’s warning also highlights a gap between Ukraine’s experience and many NATO states’ preparations. Ukraine has had to integrate large numbers of drones into its forces and adapt its air defenses to handle everything from fast missiles to slow, low-flying Shahed drones. Many alliance members still face limits in short-range air defenses, interceptor stocks and rules for deploying large numbers of unmanned systems.

He delivered his assessment as Russia is expected to increase attacks that combine drones and missiles, and as its strike patterns concentrate more on infrastructure and civilians. The message to NATO capitals is that the tactics used over Ukraine could be turned on other targets if defenses elsewhere are not strengthened.

Signals to watch now include any Russian mobilization steps, changes in the size and composition of drone and missile raids, and concrete moves by NATO members to expand air defenses, drone fleets and electronic warfare. Ukraine’s own efforts to scale up unmanned systems and integrate support from partners will offer a preview of what it takes to withstand this type of warfare.