KYIV, Ukraine: Russia is using a new generation of jet-powered drones to attack Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, leaving air-defense crews with only seconds to respond.

The drones travel at hundreds of kilometers per hour, making them difficult to intercept and increasing pressure on Ukraine's already stretched defenses.

With many drones reaching the capital, Ukrainian defense manufacturers are racing to develop new interceptor drones that can match their speed. The companies are building their own jet-propulsion systems and training artificial intelligence to help guide interceptors towards their targets.

The need for new technology has become more urgent as Russia steps up attacks on infrastructure supporting Ukraine's war-damaged economy. Recent targets have included energy systems, major industries, railways, post offices, shopping centers, telecommunications networks, petrol stations and grain exports.

Russia also has an advantage due to its stockpile of ballistic missiles, which poses another challenge for Ukraine as its supply of interceptor missiles continues to dwindle.

The repeated attacks are changing life in Kyiv, which increasingly resembles a frontline city rather than a relatively safe capital. Food supplies have been disrupted, explosions are heard throughout the day and night, and residents are forced to seek shelter from strikes reaching closer to the city center.

Ukrainian officials say they are testing new interceptor drones that have successfully struck Russian jet-powered drones. These fly higher and faster than traditional propeller-driven drones, making them much harder to detect and destroy.

"They're moving so fast that we can't get a proper lock on them," said Volodymyr Serdiuk, commander of an air-defense unit.

Describing the difficulty of tracking the new drones, which are based on Iranian-designed Shahed models, Serdiuk compared the task to chasing a wild animal.

"It's like chasing a pig in the forest," he said.

To the west, the lights of Kyiv can be seen on the horizon. To the east, countryside and suburbs disappear into darkness, with a power plant visible in the distance.

Suddenly, a red marker appears on the radar screen, moving rapidly across the map. It indicates an approaching jet-powered Shahed drone.

"Exit!" someone shouts as Serdiuk looks up.

Moments later, the drone races across the night sky, already beyond his unit's reach. The team relies on heavy machine guns, but their bullets cannot match the drone's speed or altitude.

A flash appears in the distance. Seconds later, the sound of an explosion reaches the crew from several kilometers away.

It was unclear whether the blast during that particular attack came from the Russian drone that passed over the area, as official channels reported, or from a Ukrainian air-defense missile, as witnesses at the scene told The Associated Press.

Even when the drones fly directly overhead, hitting them remains difficult because of their altitude. Sean Almeida, a former U.S. Marine who volunteers with the unit, said the drones were often flying too high for the crew to target accurately.

Ukraine uses electronic warfare systems and artificial intelligence to direct incoming Russian drones into narrow flight corridors. This approach is intended to give interceptor drones a better chance of catching them.

However, the latest jet-powered Shahed models are testing the limits of this strategy. Ukraine's fastest interceptor drones generally reach speeds of 300 to 400 kilometers per hour, or 186 to 248 miles per hour.

That is proving insufficient against the new Russian drones, leaving Ukraine racing to develop faster and more effective ways to protect its cities and critical infrastructure.