As snow fell in a wooded area of Ukraine, the long-range attack drones accelerated one by one down an unlit, abandoned road and their whirring engines propelled them into the night sky.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence will provide its combat units with 2.5 billion hryvnia (US$60 million) of direct funding per month to procure their own drones, in a move to allow commanders in the field to buy the equipment they need rather than rely on centralized purchasing.

Russia launched a barrage of drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine on Friday, killing three civilians and damaging residential and commercial buildings, officials said.

Ukraine has intensified missile and drone strikes on Russia. Russian air defenses are stretched, prompting efforts to find other approaches to protect domestic targets.