ISW: Russia exploited weaknesses in air defenses
More than 30 people are killed in the worst attack since the start of the war, with a combination of drones and missiles hitting several Ukrainian cities. According to experts, Russia is said to have spent months testing the Ukrainian air defenses for weaknesses.
Following the unprecedented Russian air strikes against Ukraine, which left many dead, US experts have warned of further heavy attacks. "Russia will continue to launch large-scale attacks against Ukraine to weaken Ukrainian morale and Ukraine's ability to sustain its war effort against Russia," reads the daily report by the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
At the same time, the analysts emphasized that after almost two years of aggressive warfare, Russia is unlikely to be in a position to regularly launch large-scale missile strikes, given its reserves and production capacities, but will be able to do so with drones.
According to official information from Kiev, the Russian army fired almost 160 rockets, cruise missiles and drones of various types at the neighboring country on Friday in the most serious attack since the start of the war. As a result, more than 30 people were killed and around 160 injured in several regions of Ukraine shortly before the New Year celebrations. The Ukrainian leadership spoke of terror against the civilian population.
In preparation for the devastating bombardment, the Russians had been experimenting with various combinations of drones and missiles for months in order to identify weaknesses in the Ukrainian air defense system, according to ISW analysis.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported further Russian drone attacks on Saturday night. Three unmanned missiles were repelled in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, according to the military.
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In response to the warning from US experts, Ukraine braced for potential further attacks from Russia.Usage of drones in the Russian attacks on Ukraine has increased, exposing vulnerabilities in Ukraine's air defense system that were previously unknown.
Source: www.ntv.de
