Recent strikes on targets deep within Russia were carried out with Ukrainian weapons - TIME magazine
Photo: Ukraine increases drone attacks on Russian territory (Getty Images)
Recent shelling of infrastructure targets deep within Russia is the result of Ukraine's initial secret development of its own weapons. At the same time, to establish mass production of such armaments, especially with the involvement of modern Western technologies, Kyiv will have to address a series of challenges, reports TIME.
It is noted that Ukraine has started using its own secret weapons in the war against Russia.
"Nearly all of the recent strikes against targets in Russia have come not from foreign stockpiles, but from Ukrainian factories and clandestine workshops," said Ukraine's Minister of Strategic Industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin, in an interview with the publication.
According to him, the latest weapons are never tested on a firing range, so they are being tested in combat conditions, and necessary modifications are made based on the results.
As TIME points out, Ukraine's ability to produce a sufficient amount of its own weapons will be a central element of its current strategy to defeat the Russians. However, to implement this strategy, the country needs to overcome a series of challenges.
In particular, Kyiv will need to combine its old and worn-out defense industry with advanced weapon models and the capabilities of Western allies, including the United States. During recent visits to the White House in September and December of last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not only requested financial and military assistance from Joe Biden but also asked for necessary licenses for the production and repair of American weapons.
"On the American side, the collaboration is possible, if hard. Under U.S. law, Biden has the power to grant licenses that would help kick-start domestic Ukrainian weapons production without the approval of the U.S. Congress. Still, the decision would need to go through a byzantine approval process within the U.S. government and, crucially, Ukraine would need billions of dollars in aid to revitalize its weapons industry," the publication states.
TIME notes that today, the Ukrainian defense industry consists of hundreds of plants and tens of thousands of workers, but they have atrophied over decades of mismanagement and suffered from Russian missile strikes.
"Among Zelenskyy’s advisers, some now see the industry as Ukraine’s best hope for defeating the Russians in what has become a war of attrition.," the publication states.
Drone attacks on infrastructure objects in Russia
Over the past few weeks, in various regions of the Russian Federation, drone attacks on oil depots and other infrastructure objects have been recorded.
For example, on January 19, a powerful fire broke out at an oil depot in Klintsy, the Bryansk region. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported a drone attack.
On the evening of January 20, explosions were heard in the city of Tula. Videos captured a fire at one of the infrastructure objects.
During the night of January 21, a drone attacked the Ust-Luga Oil oil terminal in the Leningrad region. The facility processes fuel, including supplies for the Russian military. According to sources of RBC-Ukraine, it was a special operation by the SBU.
On January 25, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) reported a UAV attack on an oil depot in the city of Tuapse. A fire broke out at the site of the attack, covering an area of 200 square meters.
