Ukraine in race to outfox Russian defences with drone attacks, commander says
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An apartment destroyed during a Ukrainian drone attack outside Moscow on Oct 24.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV – A key figure in Ukraine’s three-month-old campaign to outfox its larger enemy by targeting oil facilities deep inside Russia with drones said Moscow IS improving its ability to intercept them, but that his unit is forging technology to keep one step ahead.
Ukraine has attacked Russian energy facilities more than 60 times since the start of August, causing significant damage and disrupting the flow of oil and products through Russia’s vast pipeline system.
A senior Ukrainian commander in the 14th Deep Strike Regiment – one of the units leading the drone campaign – said the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are flying distances of up to 2,000km. He asked to be identified only by his call sign Charlie in line with Ukrainian military practice.
“We are dealing with a fairly skilled opponent,” he said at an unidentified tarmac strip in Ukraine where several Liutyi UAVs took off into the night sky on their way to attack Russian targets. “They have a high level of training and they quickly adapt to our methods, to the tactics that we use.”
Drone warfare has changed rapidly since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine
Russia has used blizzards of them to reinforce missile attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, seeking to knock out heating during the freezing winter months.
Kyiv’s decision to focus on long-range targets inside Russia reflects its view that hitting the energy system that fuels Russia’s vast military is the best way to gain leverage over its foe.
Russian officials have said no external pressure will force them to change course in the conflict, and that attacks on its oil industry are dangerously escalatory.
Charlie did not say how many drones are sent on each attack and how many are intercepted, and did not discuss US intelligence sharing, which has played a role in helping Ukraine successfully target some of Russia’s biggest oil installations.
“The enemy is waiting for us in certain places, carrying out countermeasures in order to reduce our success,” he said.
“We must not forget that the enemy has the most powerful air defence system on the continent. The enemy also made a very large bet on the development of its electronic warfare and electronic means of detecting our UAVs.”
Ukraine continued to find holes in Russia’s defences, he added, using the latest technology and analysis.
The commander said Ukraine’s focus is increasingly on the quality of drones it flies rather than the quantity, and that the regiment has a dedicated research and development team.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said up to 300 drones are involved in a single attack, although a source with knowledge of Ukraine’s tactics said separately that the typical number tends to be far smaller and includes decoys.
Russia regularly fires hundreds of kamikaze drones and decoys at Ukraine in a single attack, making it impossible for Ukraine to down them all.
“We rely on quality. A large number of drones, I will tell you honestly… do not always solve a particular problem. It is the new approach, the new technologies that now give us the success that you all see.” REUTERS
