In November, Russian troops launched about 2,300 drones against Ukraine. In December, Ukraine was attacked by about 850 enemy drones. The British intelligence explains the decrease in the number of attacks in December by cloudy weather, reports UNN with reference to a new report from the UK Ministry of Defense.
Details
According to the report, in November, Russia launched about 2,300 one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles of various types into the territory of Ukraine, again exceeding the figures for the previous month.
It is noted that the monthly number of UAVs has been constantly increasing throughout 2024, with a significant increase observed since July 2024 - more than 200 units compared to the previous month.
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It is quite likely that in September-November 2024, up to 50-60% of the total number of launches were "false" kamikaze drones. These are smaller and less expensive drones than the Shahed class. They are designed to complicate Ukraine's defense by saturating or confusing the radar picture, forcing Ukrainian air defense teams to work harder, hoping to eventually cause fatigue. Some of the decoy systems are likely to carry a small payload (up to 5 kg) of explosive, which ultimately makes them no less dangerous if they reach their target.
The growth rates from October to November slowed compared to previous months. Data on launches in December 2024 indicate that about 850 launches have been carried out so far. However, the weather likely affected operations in December, as evidenced by some nights with significantly higher waves after a period of low or zero activity
The UK Ministry of Defense believes that in the absence of an impact on launch sites and production, Russia is likely to be able to maintain a launch rate that exceeds 1,500 per month. Russian UAVs provide coverage of targets across the entire territory of Ukraine, allowing Russia to maintain pressure and replenish its stocks of long-range air-launched missiles.
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