On the morning of Thursday, August 22, Ukrainian UAVs attacked an airbase in the Volgograd region.
Points of attention
- Recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian air bases have caused significant damage to defensive positions and infrastructure, forcing Russia to reconsider its air defense strategies.
- The use of Ukrainian-made drones in military operations is reshaping Ukraine's hybrid warfare tactics and creating diplomatic tensions surrounding the use of long-range weapons in strategic strikes.
- Analysts suggest that while the immediate strategic significance of the drone attacks may not be substantial, the cumulative damage poses a long-term challenge for Russian air force operations.
- The increase in drone attacks by Ukraine is forcing Russia to rethink the placement of its aviation and air defense systems, impacting military tactics and defenses.
- Discussion over lifting restrictions on the use of long-range weapons for strikes on Russian territory highlights the evolving nature of modern warfare and the implications for international security.
What is known about the consequences of the latest Ukrainian drone attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation
Journalists of the publication, referring to information from the SBU, note that the strike was aimed at warehouses with fuel and aerial bombs, which the criminal army of the Russian Federation uses to support the offensive in Ukraine.
Local authorities in the Volgograd region said that a fire broke out at the military airbase in the village of Marynivka as a result of the alleged fall of the drone.
An unconfirmed video published on Russian social networks shows a fire at an airbase.
The Ministry of Defense of the aggressor countries resorted to the already traditional cynical lie about the alleged destruction of Ukrainian drones over five other regions.
In addition, Ukraine struck a railway ferry crossing in the port of "Kavkaz" in the Krasnodar Territory, and also destroyed the ferry of the Russian occupiers with fuel "Conro Trader".
The authors of the material note that Ukraine relies on drones of its own production to launch strikes on strategic objects deep in Russian territory.
Currently, the USA and Western partners do not allow Ukraine to use the transferred long-range weapons to strike strategic objects on the territory of Russia.
Over the past few weeks, the Ukrainian military has launched a series of powerful and devastating strikes on Russian air defense systems, fuel and ammunition depots, and air bases.
At the same time, the leadership of Ukraine calls on the US to lift restrictions on the use of long-range ATACMS missiles for strikes on strategic targets on the territory of Russia.
Our Ukrainian drones work exactly as they should. But there are things that cannot be done with drones. Unfortunately. We need another weapon - a missile - said President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on this occasion.
The authors of the material emphasize that the increase in attacks on strategic objects on the territory of Russia with the help of drones is happening at the moment when the Ukrainian military is conducting a successful offensive campaign in the Kursk region and taking control of an increasingly large territory.
The Biden administration eased restrictions on the use of US weapons after Russia re-invaded the Kharkiv region in northern Ukraine in May, allowing Kiev to use artillery and fire short-range missiles from HIMARS launchers at command posts, weapons depots and other facilities across the border. .
However, Ukraine still has not received permission from the US to use ATACMS missiles to strike strategic targets on the territory of Russia.
What is known about the consequences of Ukrainian drone attacks on air bases on the territory of the Russian Federation
On Wednesday, August 21, the Russian authorities announced the alleged prevention of a series of attacks by Ukrainian drones on Moscow and other Russian regions.
A strategic oil storage facility in the south of the Rostov region burned for several days after the drone attack.
According to one Ukrainian official, last week Ukraine carried out the largest drone attack on Russian military airfields since the beginning of the war, striking Voronezh, Kursk, Savasleyka and Borysoglebsk.
Stockpiles of guided bombs were destroyed in a Ukrainian drone attack on an airfield in Lipetsk earlier this month.
According to Justin Bronk, a senior researcher at the Royal Joint Services Institute in London, the damage that Ukraine is inflicting on Russia with drone strikes is not yet strategically significant.
However, the current level of damage to air bases is something that the Russians cannot simply accept in the long term, as it will become a serious problem for the air force over time, Bronk stressed.
It is noted that the continuation of attacks by Ukrainian drones on air bases on the territory of Russia may force the military leadership of the aggressor country to transfer air defense systems to their defense, away from the front line in Ukraine.
Bronk noted that the attacks of Ukrainian UAVs also reduced the number of cases of dropping aerial bombs by aircraft of the criminal army of the Russian Federation.
Ukraine has shot down Russian bombers in the past, but to do so would have to risk deficient air defense systems by moving them close to the front lines.
Douglas Barry, a senior researcher at the Department of Military Aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, noted that the sharp increase in the number and range of Ukrainian drone attacks is becoming an increasing problem for Russia.
While Ukraine's drones cannot replace the type of long-range missiles it wants permission to use, they are forcing Russia to think about where it places its aviation and air defenses.
