British intelligence believes that the main eventthat changed the nature of Russia's war against Ukraine was the massive use of unmanned aerial vehicles, which prevented Russia from gaining air superiority over Ukraine, resorting to the use of its tactical-level aviation as air defense.
This is stated in the report of the British intelligence, reports UNN.
Details
During the 1,000 days of the conflict, the Russian Aerospace Forces, despite their technological and numerical superiority, failed to gain air superiority over Ukraine. Russia resorted to using its tactical-level aircraft, such as the SU-34, as air artillery. The main event that changed the nature of the conflict was the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Since mid-2024, the number of unilateral UAV launches has likely given Russia the time and space to rebuild its long-range aviation fleet and associated stockpiles of air-launched cruise and ballistic missiles
The intelligence points out that despite the fact that Russia retains the ability to use these means, the end effect is that the air defense picture for Ukraine is becoming increasingly saturated and complex.
With this combination of systems, the Russians have consistently targeted Ukraine's critical national infrastructure and air bases. Future strikes on Ukrainian critical infrastructure are expected this winter as Russia attempts to break the will of the Ukrainian people. Ukraine has successfully used UAVs against military targets in Russia. In mid- and late September, Ukraine struck four Russian strategic munitions depots hundreds of kilometers away from Ukraine. The total tonnage of ammunition destroyed at the sites is the largest loss of ammunition supplied by Russia and North Korea during the war. The attacks once again underscore Russia's inability to protect strategic military facilities from attack by Ukrainian UAVs
Recall
In the Russian city of Volgograd, Gumrak airport temporarily suspended operations on the morning of November 21 “to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft” amid a drone attack.