Russia is again using killer drones against Ukrainian cities
Russia is again using killer drones against Ukrainian cities
In a recently taken night in Kiev, four -year -old Olexander Reshetnik made a simple suggestion to his parents: "Let's go to the underground car park now so that we can really sleep, and you don't have to wake us up twice to bring us back and forth."
The family lives on the 18th floor of a high -rise building, and the path to the underground garage, which serves as a bomb protection during Russian attacks, is an unpleasant experience. Since air strikes have occurred more often recently, Olexander thought it makes sense to just stay there.
growing threats and constant attacks
Although he is still so young, he already knew that the Russians would probably attack again. His mother, Khrystyna Reshetnik, reported that the family got used to the fact that drones are shot down over the sky of Kiev. There used to be one or two, maybe three, but the situation has changed.
"Lately they have been flying like a swarm that does not stop for three or four hours. Explosions right in front of the windows," she said Cnn.
In the past few weeks,Russia has strengthened its air raids to Ukraine and started up to 479 drones and rockets in a single night. These attacks are not only larger and more frequently, but also to avert more concentrated and more difficult, since they are flown at higher heights, outside the range of machine guns.
use and production of drones
The number of drones used against Ukraine has assumed amazing proportions: Seven of Moscow's biggest drone attacks in this war took place in the past four weeks, according to a count of Cnn.
Russia has successfully expanded the domestic production of his most frequently used drone - the Iranian designed Shahed - last autumn and now produces hundreds of these killer machines every day.
Christina Harward, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, said that Moscow can now produce about 2,700 Shahed drones a month, as well as around 2,500 decades. "These numbers enable Russia to start over 300 or even 400 drones more often in one night," she said.
The fact that some of the drones are decant birds changes little to the Ukrainian defenses, since Moscow has adjusted them so that it is very difficult to distinguish them from real drones.
concentrated attacks on key locations
"Either the Ukrainian armed forces spend time to identify the decoys, or they waste valuable resources to shoot them down. In any case, this helps to get through the Russian rockets and shaheds - with their big loads," added Harward.
The increasing number of drones started at night overwhelms the Ukrainian air defense systems, especially since Russia, began to concentrate on some locations at the same time. On Monday evening the Ukrainian capital and the Black Sea port city of Odessa destination, the following evening it was Charkiw, the second largest city in Ukraine.
"Instead of aiming here and there, they concentrate the attacks and can achieve maximum effect, both physically and psychologically," said Oleksiy Melnyk, a former Ministry of Defense of the Ukraine Department of Defense, who is now working as a co-director for external relationships and international security programs in the Razumkov Center in Kiev.
increase in civilian number of victims
Russia claims not to meet civilians, but the evidence speak a different language. In the past four weeks, at least 154 Ukrainian civilians - including children - were killed by drones, Russian rocket attacks and artillery across the country. Another 900 civilians were injured.
These deadly attacks are supposed to undermine the morality of Ukraine and the War - although Moscow is far from "winning."
The front line in Ukraine has not moved significantly since the liberation of the southern city of Cherson in November 2023. Since then, Russia has only been able to conquer around 5,000 square kilometers (1,900 square miles) Ukrainian territory. Russian troops have made progress in some areas in East and North Ukraine in the past few months, but have not been able to make a breakthrough or take a big city.
challenges for air defense
Yuriy Chumak spends many nights on the roofs of Kiev, machine gun in hand. During the day he is a judge at the Supreme Court, part of a voluntary drone hunting unit at night. He reports that the sky has become significantly more busy in the past few weeks.
"There are many more drones. This is an objective fact. And of course, the more there is, the more difficult it is to act against them," said Chumak to Cnn.
He explained that after the change of Russian drones to higher heights, it has become much more difficult for its unit to shoot them down. Previously, Russian armed forces flew the drones at a lower height, for example along a river bed, so as not to be recognized by the Ukrainian air defendants.
"The time to react was very short because we only recognized them when they were (close)," said Chumak.
Nowadays, according to Chumak, Russian drones fly up two to five kilometers (1 to 3 miles).
"We can see them all. You can watch radars. But it has become impossible to shoot them down with machine guns," added Chumak and explained that Ukraine must now use rockets to intercept them.
But rockets are much shorter availability. This forces the Ukrainian armed forces to find new solutions. Melnyk noticed that the efficiency of the Ukraine air defense system remains remarkable. "Even now, about 80 % of the drones are intercepted. A few months ago, this percentage was around 95.
The effects on the life of the civilian population
The Kiev mother Khrystyna Reshetnik said that one of the worst things on the Russian air strikes was that they had become a habit for their three sons aged 4, 8 and 11. Olexander regularly asks whether the sound he hears is a calibre cruise rocket or a drone.
"He is only a little boy and already understands what is going on," said Reshetnik. Since the attacks have increased in size and scope, the family spends more time in the underground underground car park, where Olexander and his two brothers sleep in the trunk of their car.
"This has become the norm for our children. It hurts my heart," she said.
Nevertheless, the reshetniks are among the lucky ones despite the daily horrors. You live in Kyiv, a city that is relatively well defended. Most of the explosions they hear are Ukrainian air defenses that intercept Russian drones.
However, many others in other parts of the country have no protection, since the access of Ukraine to air defense systems is limited by what their western allies are willing to hand over. Near the front lines, Russian troops use smaller drones to use to attack ."We are talking about these big attacks, especially when Kiev is attacked, but cities like Sumy or Cherson are attacked 24/7," said Melnyk, interrupted by an air alarm while he spoke to CNN.
"There's a ballistic rocket, so I will go into the shelter. My point is that this is the everyday life of Ukrainian citizens and civilians."
The reporting was contributed by Kostya Gak and Victoria Butenko for CNN.
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