Russian drone and missile attacks will sow discord in Ukraine

The Russians themselves said the large drone and missile strikes were intended to hit infrastructure supporting the country’s military industry. Russian air power experts said their hits indicated something entirely different.

Flight alerts in Ukraine are frequently sounded, often several times a day. 40,000 alarms since February 24, 2022 Full InvasionAfter that, many Ukrainians stopped taking flight alerts seriously.

But the choices you make in those initial tumultuous moments could mean the difference between life and death. Monday is serious.

In the early hours of the morning, Russia launched its largest airstrike against its neighbor in 2.5 years.

Missiles must be saved for attack

kyiv independent Seven people were reported dead. 47 were injured. According to Ukrainian authorities, 127 missiles and about 109 attack drones were used in the operation.

The Ukrainian air force called it the largest attack since the start of the war.

– Today, 15 regions were affected by a massive Russian attack. The enemy used various types of weapons: drones, cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles. There are casualties and deaths, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Sjmyhal said on Telegram.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that they had launched a major attack.

– This morning, Russian troops carried out a large-scale attack on key energy facilities using long-range, high-precision weapons. All targets were hit, the Ministry of Defense said on Telegram.

The ministry said the attacks targeted Ukrainian infrastructure “supporting the military industry”.

The Corriere de Sera newspaper confirmed a video showing damage to the Kiev hydroelectric power station, part of a large dam north of the city center.

The dam is located a few kilometers north of the city of 3 million inhabitants and has a storage capacity of 3.7 cubic kilometers of water.

– If this collapses, then large parts of Kyiv will be flooded, Tymofij Mylovanov wrote on X. He is the dean of the Kyiv School of Economics and a former minister of economic development of Ukraine.

The attack has cut water and electricity supplies in some places, while in other places they are now forced to implement rolling blackouts.

– Lars Peder Haga told Corriere della Sera I had expected such a major attack.

He is an associate professor at the Norwegian Air Force School and an expert on Russian and Soviet air power.

Haga explained that the Russians were producing missiles and rockets at a rate they normally use and had recently scaled back on their use.

– When they do this, it is to launch attacks like the one we saw today. Haga said they have “saturated” Ukraine’s air defenses.

——Russia’s “desperate measure”

He said the Ukrainian air force is usually quick to report how much firepower it successfully fired during Russian airstrikes, but today released almost no information.

– This shows that you are not paying attention. The attacks lasted from last night until this morning. It is obviously difficult to handle, Haga said.

Monday late afternoon only Report Ukrainian air defense commander Mykola Oreshchuk said the attack involved 236 drones and missiles. They were said to have successfully shot down 102 missiles and 99 drones.

The attack came just over two weeks after Zelensky announced that Ukraine had taken control of more territory in Russia’s Kursk region. After the surprise attack.

Haga said there was speculation that the Russian attack was retaliation for Ukraine’s invasion of Russia.

Haga disagrees with this theory. He pointed out that Russia has already started in the fall of 2022. Pursuing Ukraine’s energy infrastructureand its purpose is obvious.

Over the past six months, attacks on power plants and other critical energy infrastructure have occurred frequently.

The weather in Ukraine is bright and warm in the summer, but cold and dark in late fall. Ukraine has an inland climate and winters can be very cold.

– Speaking of Russia’s “strategy of desperation,” he said the Russians want to make life so miserable for the Ukrainian people that they turn against their own government.

Russia thus hopes that apathetic and insecure Ukrainians will put pressure on Zelensky to resolve the conflict on their terms.

He believes that given the approaching winter, Russia is likely to launch more attacks on Ukraine’s electricity supply in the coming months.

The war has left infrastructure in some places vulnerable, and the effects of attacks are often long-lasting.

“Power plant equipment is not just something you buy at the store, and it often takes a long time to replace,” Haga said.

The “Invincible Center” and Resistance as a Countermeasure

But he is less confident that Russia will succeed in sowing enough despair among Ukrainians to sustain this situation. Among other things, he suggests that the Russians have not achieved a “mood shift” in Ukraine after similar attacks.

– All experience with such attacks shows that people are angry at the bombers. Haga believes that it is long-winded and unrealistic to put the blame on one’s own government.

– At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities have been good at finding ways to remedy the situation they are in, he continued.

Haga noted that, among other things, some places have set up so-called “invincibility centers” where people affected by power outages can come to get heating and electricity.

But in order to oppose Russia’s “strategy of desperation”, one point needs to be made in particular.

– He said you have to prove you are capable of fighting back.

Ukraine has carried out a series of drone attacks against Russia.

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday that nine drones were shot down in the Saratov region, about 900 kilometers from Ukraine.

Among other things, it is home to Russia’s Engels air base, which is home to long-range bombers used in the war in Ukraine. Planes from here were said to have been involved in Monday’s attack.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet claimed responsibility for the attack. According to local authorities, one person was seriously injured.