Russia’s New Air War: Why Shahed Drones Are Replacing Massive Missile Attacks
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A new phase of drone warfare? Russia is replacing sheer numbers with speed and precision, deploying jet-powered Shaheds to hit strategically important targets.
This was stated by Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov.
According to him, the change in tactics became logical after Ukrainian forces began shooting down 92-96% of gasoline-powered Shaheds during attacks on targets deep in the rear.
Beskrestnov noted that the number of Shahed jets is increasing. At the same time, the Russians continue to actively use gasoline drones for strikes on border regions and cities.
He estimates that about 200 such drones attack gas stations, warehouses, energy infrastructure, and transportation facilities near the border every day.
The advisor to the minister of defense explained that, due to their proximity to the border, Russian troops use radio control on mesh modems extensively, so suppressing satellite navigation in such cases does not have the intended effect.
At the same time, Beskrestnov noted that the total number of Shaheds that Russia has launched over Ukraine has recently decreased. At the same time, he sees no technical or economic reasons for this and suggests that the enemy has reoriented part of its production capacity toward the serial production of jet-powered drone variants.
According to “Flash,” the Russian army is also shifting from massive strikes to carefully prepared attacks. Before launching drones, the occupiers conduct multi-level reconnaissance, study the operation of Ukrainian electronic warfare systems, radar stations, and air defenses; determine routes to bypass interception measures; and use “Seeker”-modified drones capable of independently targeting and capturing targets.
It was previously reported that on the night of July 6, Russia launched a massive missile strike on Kyiv. The first reports of explosions appeared at around 2:00 a.m. The attack affected the Holosiivskyi, Podolskyi, Darnytskyi, and Obolonskyi districts of the capital. There are dead and dozens injured.
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