Ukrainian drones strike Russia
2022.12.06 10:56
Ukrainian drones strike Russia
Budrigannews.com – Analysts said that as attention turned to the use of drones in the war between neighbors, twin strikes on air bases deep inside Russian territory have dealt Moscow a major reputational blow and raised questions about why its defenses failed.
After Russia claimed that Ukraine used unmanned Soviet-era aerial vehicles to attack two military air bases in the Ryazan and Saratov areas of south-central Russia, Ukrainian officials reveled in the blasts but refused to acknowledge Kyiv’s role.
The types of weapons used and the perpetrators of the attacks have not been demonstrated in any concrete way by either side.
Yet, the Russian assertions recommended Ukraine might have utilized a Tupolev Tu-141 or Tu-143 observation drone, which date to the 1970s however might have been conveying explosives this time, as indicated by certain specialists.
In addition, Kyiv stated on Sunday that progress was being made on a brand-new indigenous combat drone with a range of 1,000 kilometers (665 miles).
According to Moscow, the attacks on Monday damaged two warplanes and left three of its soldiers dead and four wounded. Another drone strike set a third Russian airfield in Kursk, which is closer to Ukraine, on fire on Tuesday.
The attacks, according to military analysts, were Ukraine’s response to Russia on the same day that Russia launched another round of missile strikes against Ukraine’s vital infrastructure.
Whether Russia intends to respond in kind remains to be seen; Shortly after an attack that it claimed was orchestrated by Ukrainian military intelligence on a crucial bridge leading to annexed Crimea, it launched the first phase of its bombardment campaign.
According to Oleh Zhdanov, a military analyst based in Kyiv, “It’s a bigger image blow than a military one.” It indicates that no locations in western Russia are out of reach for Ukraine.
Russia’s military bloggers, whose social media posts can provide a window into the mood in Russia regarding the course of the war that was sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, reacted negatively to the damage to the warplanes.
“And I, a foolish civilian, thought that during war, planes were kept in concrete shelters,” Vladlen Tatarsky, a military blogger in Russia, wrote: It turns out that strategic aircraft can be attacked by small drones, a threat that was so largely ignored.”
If Kyiv did indeed use an old Tupolev reconnaissance drone, the analysts said it was unclear why Russia’s sophisticated air defenses had failed to recognize the threat and eliminate it.
“Radars would be able to see it: Another Kyiv analyst, Oleksandr Musiyenko, said, “the question arises as to how this drone could fly from Ukraine through Russian territory and not be visible to S-400 units and hit strategic bombers at a military site.”
“We could infer that Russian air guards can’t ensure the security of their essential aerodromes and that they actually concede this,” he said.
Musiyenko continued, ” Russia may consider suspending its missile attacks on Ukrainian territory at this point. because we now know that explosions can occur on their airfields as well.”
Russia had previously accused Ukraine of using such drones for attacks within its borders.
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Ukraine carried out strikes in July using explosive-laden Tupolev Tu-143 drones in the bordering Belgorod and Kursk regions of southern Russia.
Kyiv’s defense minister told Reuters that he sees unmanned aerial vehicles and drones as the future of modern warfare. The idea of creating an “army of drones” has been discussed for weeks.
Ukroboronprom, a Ukrainian arms manufacturer, announced over the weekend that it had successfully completed a number of tests on a new combat drone with a 1,000-kilometer range. The state-run Ukrinform news agency reported that the company intends to test it under electronic jamming conditions.
In what Kyiv claims is a brutal attempt to break public resolve to fight, Russia has used its vast superiority in long-range missile capabilities to unleash wave after wave of aerial attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, resulting in massive outages. Moscow asserts that its attacks are legal.
Yuriy Gusev, general director of Ukroboronprom, called for an “asymmetrical response” by the Ukrainian army to Russian missile volleys in an opinion piece published on Nov. 29.
“At this time, we do not have many long-range, high-precision weapons. “However, our armed forces must provide a decent asymmetrical response to Russian Federation’s missile terror,” he stated.
“The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is paying special attention to their development because aerial unmanned systems come in handy.”
