The British Ministry of Defence views the recent Russian attacks as preparations for future military operations, as reported by the German news website n-tv.de.
According to the daily intelligence update, around 50 unmanned one-way attack drones of Russian design, of the Iranian type Shahed, were launched last weekend alone, primarily towards Kyiv. These attacks occurred in waves from two axes, both from the east (Kursk) and the southeast (Krasnodar).
Reports on X, formerly known as Twitter, suggest that one of Russia’s main goals was likely to weaken Ukrainian air defenses. This could serve to prepare the battlefield for a coordinated winter offensive, focusing on attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. It is notable that Russian troops have refrained from firing their decisive air-launched cruise missiles from heavy bombers in the last two months, possibly to accumulate a significant stockpile of these weapons.
It seems highly likely that Russia will use these missiles, especially if it repeats its attempt from last year to destroy Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure.
Image: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, Vladimir Putin in Patriot Park (2018-09-19) 02.jpg, via Wikimedia Commons (Image size changed)
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