Attack on Moscow shows success of Ukraine's strategy of overwhelming Russian air defenses with drones – CNN
The Ukrainian attack on targets in the Moscow region on Thursday was another example of how Ukraine's strategy of overloading Russian air defense systems with drones has proven successful.
As Ukrinform reports, CNN stated this in an article.
Weapon expert Markus Schiller from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, commenting on the chaotic response of Russian forces and Russian anti-missiles hitting their own objects, noted that "Russia has a track record of old systems not being 100% reliable." He added that Ukraine, meanwhile, has been steadily improving its offensive capabilities "for years."
Senior analyst at McKenzie Intelligence Services Stu Ray drew attention to the use by Russian forces of portable air defense missile systems on a busy highway, which in his opinion indicates a rushed, improvised, and unprofessional response to the attack.
"The complete lack of traffic control and the utilization of military hardware incredibly proximate to civilian vehicles and individuals reinforces this assessment," Ray said.
Thomas Withington, a military science researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, stressed that "Russia's air defenses are simply not fit for purpose, that's very clear. They are not equipped to detect, track and engage this kind of attack, and barring some massive redesign of the Russian air defense system, that will remain the case."
He added that international sanctions have limited Moscow's access to the technology needed to develop new systems capable of countering these drone attacks.
"Even if you could ramp up production, you will just ramp up production on missile systems that aren't even doing the job," Withington said, stressing that drones "may appear on radar, but there is a world of difference between detecting something on radar and then getting what we call a 'quality track.'"
At the same time, he noted that hundreds of UAVs approaching from different directions require enormous coordination from Russia's integrated air defense systems, which, according to Withington, "is not happening properly."
Repeated massive long-range attacks by Ukraine have led to suggestions that Russia may also be running out of defensive munitions. Experts note that determining the exact stockpile of such munitions is difficult because the information is concealed. However, stocks are inevitably depleted if Ukrainian strikes remain strong and frequent, the publication adds.
As Ukrinform reported, on June 16, the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, struck the Moscow oil refinery.
On June 18, Ukraine carried out a new massive strike on Moscow, hitting the Moscow refinery in Kapotnya for the second time in a week.