The Russian army has shifted to stockpiling supplies between attacks on Ukraine, but Russia still retains the ability to use missiles and drones in smaller quantities "as a punitive measure", according to a new report from the UK Ministry of Defence, reports UNN.
Details
As the British intelligence service recalled, on the night of December 12-13, Russia carried out a large-scale shelling of the territory of Ukraine. As with previous attacks, they involved Russian long-range aviation and Russian tactical aviation assets launching air-launched cruise missiles and ballistic missiles of several types.
Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet launched Kalibr missiles, and attack drones were launched from several launch pads. In total, about 90 missiles were used in combination with at least 180 UAVs.
It is quite likely that from August 2024, Russia has decided to spend time building up stocks between strikes, and then deliver strikes in larger and rarer waves, rather than more frequent smaller attacks as was the case earlier in the year. The composition and set of targets of the December 12-13 attack were similar to previous attacks: the main focus was on Ukrainian critical national infrastructure and industry, as well as attempts to suppress Ukrainian air defence and airfields through saturation with unmanned aerial vehicles.
At the same time, as indicated by British intelligence, Russia retains the ability and reserves to use missiles and drones in smaller quantities "as a punitive measure practically without warning".
Supplement
It is worth noting that the Russians are constantly trying to modify and modernize all the types of missiles and drones they use to attack Ukraine. KNDISE experts in a comment to UNN told about what specific features are involved and what role Western components play in changes to the enemy's weapons. The enemy uses not only Western components. According to the director of the Kyiv Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, Oleksandr Ruvin, the components for the UAVs with which the enemy attacks Ukraine are supplied by about 50 manufacturers from China.
In addition, KNDISE experts have found that the Russian X-69 missiles used by the occupiers to strike Ukraine are made from several types of weapons and have foreign components.