Russia pauses drone attacks on Ukraine for the first time since last year
Illustrative photo: Russia paused attacks with Shahed drones on Ukraine (Getty Images)
Russia did not launch Shahed-type drones at Ukraine on the night of Tuesday, April 1. This marked a brief pause amid constant attacks, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, and the Air Force.
What the Center for Countering Disinformation says
"There were no strike UAVs. We are monitoring the situation, but this doesn't mean anything yet," Kovalenko wrote briefly.
At the same time, RBC-Ukraine noted that the last time the Air Force reported the movement of enemy Shahed drones was at 4:34 AM on Monday (Kyiv time), March 31. Later, information was published regarding the work of Ukraine's air defense - 57 of 131 Russian attack drones were shot down last night.
Drone attacks
Since the fall of last year, Russia has been attacking Ukraine almost every night with strike drones. Moreover, in recent times, the Russians have used a tactic of precision Shahed strikes on cities.
As military expert Pavlo Narozhnyi previously told RBC-Ukraine, Russia has changed its tactics in an attempt to overload Ukraine's air defense. In recent days, record numbers of drones have been launched at Ukraine - more than 100 UAVs each night.
According to the Air Force, on the night of March 14, Russia slowed down its attacks, launching only 27 Shahed strike drones and imitation UAVs.
Last pause in strikes
The previous pause in drone attacks occurred on December 10, 2024. At that time, poor weather conditions were considered a possible reason, as thick fog covered Ukraine for several days, which can significantly affect the range and trajectory of Shahed flights.
Before that, another pause was recorded on October 14, likely due to a successful Ukrainian strike on a drone warehouse in Russian Yeysk.
Meanwhile, Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, stated that Russia has significantly increased drone production. This will allow them to launch 150 to 200 UAVs per strike.
