Russia scales back strikes on Ukraine, but reason may be alarming
Photo: Russia's attack on Ukraine (Getty Images)
Russia may have reduced the intensity of its attacks on Ukraine because Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has ordered the military to save resources for new large-scale strikes, said Gert Kaju, head of the Defense Readiness Department at Estonia's Ministry of Defense, according to ERR.
According to Estonia's Defense Ministry, Russia launched around 900 drones and 12 missiles at Ukraine last week.
Kaju calculated that this represents a 35% decrease in the number of drones and an 84% drop in missiles.
In his view, this is a troubling sign. He noted that periods of sharply reduced strike activity have often been followed by waves of large-scale Russian attacks.
In essence, Russia is conserving resources to later launch a large number of aerial attack weapons simultaneously.
The Estonian Defense Ministry official also commented on the effectiveness of Ukraine's deep-strike campaign. According to him, these long-range attacks are driving Putin into a corner.
The Kremlin leader is being forced to decide which facilities in Russia can be sacrificed in order to protect others.
"Since air defense assets are insufficient to cover everything, priority targets must be chosen. This inevitably involves risks, meaning some facilities remain unprotected, and it must be taken into account that they could be destroyed or put out of operation," Kaju explained.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported on why the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea urgently declared a state of emergency. The decision took effect on June 26.
Reports have also emerged that Russian forces are attempting to expand their zone of control east of Sumy.
In addition, the Russian military is reportedly suffering heavy losses in the Kharkiv region. Russian forces are losing hundreds of troops per day on that section of the front, but continue their attempts to advance.
