The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) draws attention to the fact that the aggressor country Russia actively accumulated ballistic and cruise missiles throughout September. The enemy's main goal is to carry out several large-scale strikes using drones and missiles on certain days.
Points of attention
- Russian forces are likely to rely on a combination of cruise missiles, drones, and ballistic missiles to suppress Ukrainian air defenses and deliver pinpoint strikes on specific targets.
- The evolving tactics of Russia in its strikes on Ukraine underscore the importance of monitoring the situation and preparing for potential escalations in the conflict.
What to expect from Russia next?
As American analysts have noticed, the aggressor country often does not use missiles for several days as part of night strikes on Ukraine.
Most likely, this indicates an active process of accumulation of ballistic and cruise missiles by the enemy.
This will allow Russia to launch a large number of missiles along with a large number of drones.
It's no secret that this will be a huge burden on the Ukrainian air defense system.
What is important to understand is that over the past month, the enemy has only carried out four night strikes using over 10 missiles and has carried out one night strike using over 40 missiles approximately every two weeks since the end of August 2025.
Russian forces continue to use more cruise missiles and fewer ballistic missiles in combined strikes and are likely to continue to rely on ballistic missiles to deliver pinpoint strikes on specific targets, while simultaneously using drones and cruise missiles to suppress Ukrainian air defenses.
