Russia uses round-the-clock attacks on Ukraine to exhaust air defense, Air Force says
Day and night attacks: Ukrainian Armed Forces explain why Russia keeps pressure around the clock (photo: t.me/dsns_telegram)
Russia continues to pressure Ukraine with attacks both day and night. The Air Force explained why Russian forces need this and whether their tactics have changed, said Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat.
Enemy strikes without pause: What is known
According to Ihnat, Russia has been carrying out attacks lasting throughout the entire day for several weeks now. Similar strikes were recorded a month ago, a week ago, and a few days ago.
For this, Russians use, in particular, decoy drones — unmanned aerial vehicles that do not hit targets but force Ukrainian air defense to constantly respond.
Why Russia attacks around the clock
The purpose of such actions is complex. Ihnat outlined several directions of pressure:
- Exhaustion of air defense — both ground systems and aviation;
- Pressure on people — military personnel, operators, staff;
- Destruction of reserves — ammunition and equipment.
"Everyone needs rest, the enemy understands this, so sometimes attacks are directed like this, large ones, yes, large ones around the clock, thus exhausting people, equipment, and our reserves. Somewhere they could have accumulated a certain amount, and in this way planned one or another strike for 2–3 minutes throughout the entire day," he explained.
Is this a new tactic?
No. According to Ihnat, round-the-clock attacks are not something fundamentally new. Russia has already practiced such an approach, and it remains part of the overall strategy of exhaustion.
If the enemy strikes without stopping, load increases in several dimensions at once: air defense, economy, and combat resources of the army suffer.
On the night of May 5, Russia carried out another massive attack on Ukraine. Kyiv region, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia came under strikes — residential buildings, industrial facilities, and civilian infrastructure were damaged, and there are casualties.
The Poltava region suffered the most that night. Russia attacked the region with missiles and strike drones: 4 people were killed, and another 31 were injured. Among the victims were two rescuers who were struck by a missile during firefighting at a gas production facility.
