• 03/01/2025

Ukrainian Air Force reveals tactics of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine: 50% of aerial assets are live, 50% decoys

Pravda Ukraine

Russian forces have been relentlessly launching numerous drones on Ukraine every night. In most instances, 50% of the Russian-launched aerial munitions are Shahed drones, with the other half being decoy drones designed to drain Ukrainian air defences.

Source: Colonel Yurii Ihnat, Head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, in an interview with Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian Service

Quote: “It’s a 50-50 situation today: 50% of the drones are Shaheds, while the other 50% are decoys. Their purpose is to overwhelm our air defence system, forcing the launch of [costly air defence] missiles to intercept decoys that cost next to nothing. This is why they are launched in such large numbers. Looking at the Virazh-Planshet system, everything is red, [drones are] coming from different directions. Russia has been launching Shaheds from seven different directions, often followed by ballistic or cruise missiles.” [The Virazh-Planshet is an automated system for collecting, processing, displaying and analysing air situation intelligence – ed.]

Details: Reports indicate that Russian forces have attacked Ukraine with 208 Shahed-type loitering munitions and various types of decoy drones since the evening of 27 February. A total of 204 drones have failed to reach their target.

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https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/02/28/7500616/