Russia uses new drones launch sites to attack Ukraine - British intelligence

This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defence.

It is noted that on December 12, Russia launched at least 15 Shahed UAVs from the Balaklava area in the temporarily occupied Crimea. This is a new drone launch point near Sevastopol.

Instead, on December 5, Russian officials claimed to have intercepted 41 Ukrainian drones near military infrastructure in Crimea, including Cape Chauda.

"Cape Chauda, south east Crimea, is a known Shahed launch site used by the Russians since early September 2023. Balaklava is now the fifth confirmed OWA UAV launch site being used in Russian operations against Ukraine, alongside the sites at Cape Chauda, Yeysk, Primorsko, and Kursk," the intelligence wrote.

It is assumed that Russia is likely to disperse its UAV launch capabilities across several locations to complicate the work of Ukraine's air defense.

"Russia will likely use additional launch sites in response to Ukrainian attacks, forcing Ukraine to adapt to new transit corridors for these systems," the intelligence added.

• On the night of Wednesday, December 13, explosions were heard in Kyiv, followed by an air raid alert. The Russians attacked the capital with ballistic missiles from the S400 complex, and fires broke out in residential buildings in several districts as a result of the falling shrapnel. There are 53 known casualties.
• Russian troops launched 10 kamikaze drones and the same number of ballistic missiles to attack Ukraine. All Russian targets were destroyed by air defense forces.