Russia doubles drone attacks, straining Ukraine’s air defense

Over the past year, Russia has doubled the intensity of its drone use across key front lines. This applies to nearly all types of enemy unmanned aerial vehicles that Ukrainian air defense units encounter daily.

Vitalii Samoilenko, the commander of the Third Army Corps' air defense unit, revealed this information in an interview with Novyny.LIVE.

Russians have significantly increased the frequency of drone attacks on the front

Samoilenko noted that this increase is both quantitative and qualitative, involving changes in approaches to the use of drones. Notably, the number of drones using optical fiber control has increased significantly, as has the number of "Molnia" attack drones and cruise drones. While these systems have not undergone radical technological changes, their widespread use puts additional strain on the air defense system.

"In addition to their numbers, we see that technological solutions against them are increasing. They are also quite fast," Vitalii Samoilenko noted.

He also noted the increased use of artificial intelligence in enemy drones. These solutions enable the drones to adapt more quickly to combat conditions, making them more difficult to intercept. The number of reconnaissance drones used by the enemy to adjust strikes has also increased significantly.

According to the air defense corps commander, Ukrainian units must simultaneously protect troops on the front lines and engage targets deep within the country. This includes intercepting "Shahed" drones to prevent them from reaching rear regions. The number of such attacks is also increasing significantly.

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• War is moving into cities — how to protect civilian residents