Russia cuts drone strikes due to weather - British intelligence
Russia cuts drone strikes due to weather (photo collage: RBC-Ukraine)
If production and launch sites are not affected, Russia will be able to launch up to 1,500 kamikaze drones a month in Ukraine. The decrease in raids amount in December is due to cloudy weather, the UK Ministry of Defense reports.
As noted in the report, in November 2024, Russia launched about 2,300 kamikaze drones of various types across Ukraine, again surpassing the total number for the previous month. The monthly number of drones has steadily increased throughout 2024, with a significant increase of over 200 compared to the previous month since July 2024.
According to British intelligence, it is likely that between September and November 2024, up to 50-60% of the total number of launches were “false” kamikaze drones. These are smaller and less expensive drones than Shahed drones, and their purpose is to complicate defenses by saturating or confusing the radar picture.
Some of the decoy systems probably still carry a small payload (up to 5 kg) of explosives, which ultimately makes them no less dangerous if they reach their target.
The report says that the growth rate from October to November decreased compared to the previous months. Launch figures for December 2024 show approximately 850 launches.
“However, it is likely that weather has impacted operations in December, evidenced through some nights with significantly larger waves following a period of low or no activity,” the report says.
Russian kamikaze drones provide coverage of targets throughout Ukraine, which allows Russia to maintain pressure while allowing it to replenish its long-range missiles, the British Ministry of Defense added.
Earlier, British intelligence reported that Russia was able to increase the production of kamikaze drones and increase the intensity of its strikes on Ukraine. Therefore, it is difficult to solve this problem soon.
