A growing proportion of these are equipped with AI guidance, allowing them to lock on to targets in the final phase of flight even if the link between pilot and drone is jammed. The automatic guidance can kick in at distances of 2km or more,

Russia said it had downed more than 300 Ukrainian drones just hours before the first high-level talks between Washington and Kyiv since a tense Oval Office meeting.

The assault, which the mayor called the largest on Russia’s capital since the war began, was a reminder of Ukraine’s power to strike as its president proposes an air truce.