Russia improves Shahed-136 drone tactics, targets Ukrainian cities

The Russian military has once again improved the tactics of using Shahed-136 'kamikaze' drones, Ukrainian military observer Oleksandr Kovalenko reported. 

Last month, the self-detonating drones started climbing to the flight altitudes of 2 km and higher, with sharp dives. However, this critically reduced the accuracy of hitting the target, turning the drone into an indiscriminate weapon. 

"Yes, it's suitable for terror of civilians, but terror also sometimes requires accuracy," Kovalenko said.

Currently, the Russian military has distributed flight altitudes across Ukrainian regions as follows:

• 2,500 meters: for attacks on coastal cities, such as Odessa.
• 1,500 meters: for attacks on cities in mainland Ukraine.

The feature is that before striking, the drone descends to 1,000 meters to stabilize, aiming for more precise targeting. The stabilization time is brief, making it very, very difficult to intercept the drone, if it is impossible at all.

In such conditions and with this tactic, the most vulnerable cities are Odessa and the border cities, as well as Kharkiv and Sumy.

"Once again, discussions about short-range air defense systems, such as SAMs, MANPADS, and EW, become highly relevant," Kovalenko concluded.