Russia ramps up drone assaults on Ukrainian civilians
During the night from Thursday to Friday, a swarm of drones attacked Odessa, located on the Black Sea, as reported by Odessa Journal. Authorities in Kyiv note that Russia has changed its strategy for drone attacks on Ukraine, now focusing on sending swarms of drones to target civilian infrastructure.
Daria Zarivna, an advisor to the head of the President's Office of Ukraine on communications, emphasized in her Telegram post that Russia is attacking civilians with these drone swarms.
"The attacks are targeted, and Putin calls it a ceasefire"
"Russia has chosen the tactic of massive drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian cities. The attacks are targeted, and Putin calls it a ceasefire," wrote Daria Zarivna on Telegram.
Late Thursday evening, March 20, Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on Odessa, located in southern Ukraine. The State Emergency Service reported on Telegram Friday morning, March 21, that the attack resulted in extensive fires, with a shopping center and stores burning and a high-rise building being damaged. Preliminary information indicates that three teenagers were injured.
According to Jarosław Junko from PAP, who is currently in Kyiv, a similar drone attack took place earlier, on the night from Wednesday to Thursday, in Kropyvnytskyi, in central Ukraine. Authorities assessed it as the most massive attack on this city since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
What drones does Russia use?
Russia is heavily using Shahed-136 drones. These drones are most frequently deployed for psychological operations aimed at intimidating residents or as support for other methods of attack, such as cruise missiles. He explained that the drone's navigation system is unsophisticated and only allows for flight along a pre-set route, making it primarily used for attacks on stationary targets, like residential areas, due to its low accuracy.
The Shahed-136 is a simple drone, featuring a delta-shaped wing with a wingspan of about 8 feet, along with two vertical stabilizers. The drone measures about 11.5 feet in length and is constructed using commercially available components. The Shahed-136 weighs about 440 pounds, with 110 pounds comprising the warhead. The remaining weight includes a fuel tank powering a Chinese boxer-type gasoline engine with a power of 50 horsepower, replicating the German LIMBACH L550 E model. It's assumed that the fuel in the Shahed-136 is enough to cover a distance of up to 1,550 miles.
In previous attacks, the Russians have launched hundreds of Shahed drones, which, when combined with Ch-101 cruise missiles, pose a significant challenge for air defense systems. When targets are numerous, some Ch-101 missiles can more easily penetrate defenses. Additionally, the Russians use modified Shahed drones to monitor the activity of Ukrainian air defenses.
