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Ukraine’s large-scale drone campaign is increasingly overwhelming Russia’s air defense network while degrading the country’s oil refining capacity, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal, UATV English reports.
The report says Ukrainian strikes have already disabled around 20% of Russia’s oil refining capacity and significantly complicated the work of Russian air defense systems.
According to the newspaper, Ukrainian forces employ an attrition strategy in which initial waves of drones expose Russian air defense positions before subsequent waves penetrate and strike designated targets. The tactic is particularly effective against Russia’s Pantsir air defense systems, whose limited capacity to engage multiple targets simultaneously makes them vulnerable to saturation attacks.
The report also notes that large drone swarms overload Russian radar systems and force air defense units to expend expensive interceptor missiles against relatively low-cost unmanned aircraft.
The Wall Street Journal adds that improvements in Ukraine’s long-range drones and cruise missiles have enabled successful strikes on strategically important military and industrial targets. Since the spring, these attacks have damaged a significant share of Russia’s oil refining infrastructure.
According to the analysis, Russia’s attempts to expand air defense coverage in order to protect military and industrial facilities have stretched its defensive network, leaving other regions increasingly exposed to attack.
The newspaper concludes that the air campaign demonstrates how unmanned systems have become one of the defining factors reshaping modern warfare, allowing Ukraine to strike critical targets deep behind the front line.
