Russia starts using more sites to launch drones against Ukraine

Defense Express analysts examined Russia’s latest drone attack on Ukraine.

On August 2, Russia launched an attack using Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 “kamikaze” drones in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces successfully destroyed 23 of these drones during the attack.

The targets of the attack were facilities in Kyiv and the port infrastructure of the Odesa region. Over 10 drones were destroyed in Kyiv, causing damage to an administrative building and a private residential building in the Bucha district.

In the Odesa region, a grain elevator was damaged, and fires broke out at some port and industrial infrastructure facilities. Thankfully, there have been no reports of casualties so far.

Unlike previous attacks, the distinction in this one lies not in the quantity of Shaheds launched and destroyed, but in the multiple launch areas. The Ukrainian Air Force Command reports that the missiles were launched from three directions - Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the Russian coast of the Azov Sea, and Chauda in the still-occupied Crimea.

Previous Shahed attacks usually had one or two launch areas, but this time the involvement of more areas indicates a need to prepare for more simultaneous attacks. This could make it challenging to repel an air attack from multiple directions. It also suggests that the Shahed-136 requires substantial ground infrastructure, explaining why the launch areas haven't changed. This presents an opportunity for effective strikes on the drone operators and ground infrastructure.