Russia deploys new drone tactics against Ukraine — military expert

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"I would like to note that the number of missiles Russia has fired at Ukraine since the beginning of 2025 has been relatively small. Secondly, the Russians are trying to compensate for this with drones. We observe a clear trend that the number of drones has been steadily increasing each month, at least since December 2024. While at the end of last year, there were about 2,000-2,500 Russian drones per month, in February, 3,900 drones were recorded. I have a strong feeling that, as of today, we can confidently say that March will exceed this number. We will see the 'new achievements' of Russia's aggressive military machine," commented the retired colonel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to him, the Russians are using a new tactic in deploying drones across Ukraine. This tactic fits perfectly with what we have not seen before - now the Russians are flying drones in groups that attack the city, which was part of the night attack on Odesa.

"The second element is that the drones approach Odesa at a high altitude, around 2 km, and then dive from such heights. We cannot leverage our advantage with mobile fire groups. Even technically, shooting down such a target, which is diving towards you, is very difficult. This is a new element in Russia's tactics regarding drone use. The drones themselves haven't changed significantly, but there are modifications to these unmanned systems. We've known about these modifications for a long time, such as when the Russians increased the combat payload from 48-50 kg to 80-90 kg, making these drones more dangerous. They also use jet engines, which increase the drones' speed. So, these are not new drones, but rather an improvement in the terrorist tactics of their deployment," summarized Serhii Hrabskyi.

• On March 20, the Russian army launched a drone attack against Ukraine. Explosions were heard in Odesa and its suburbs, as well as in Kremenchuk and Sumy, with casualties reported in Zaporizhzhia.