'Drones By Day, Missiles By Night': Russia’s New Weapon Gives Ukrainian Soldiers Sleepless Nights

Russia's use of jet-powered attack drones is presenting a new challenge for Ukrainian air-defence units, with soldiers describing a combination of speed, altitude and sustained pressure designed to keep crews on alert for hours. A Ukrainian mobile air-defence soldier, speaking to Reuters in the Kyiv region, said conventional Shahed drones previously flew at altitudes where mobile teams equipped with machine guns and shoulder-fired missiles could engage them. The newer jet-powered variants, he said, can operate at around four, five or even seven kilometres, making them much harder for these units to reach. The problem changes when the drones descend. The soldier said that once a jet-powered drone drops to around one or two kilometres, operators may have an opportunity to engage it—but they have far less time to react. The result is a battle of endurance as much as interception: Russia's drones do not necessarily need to overwhelm Ukrainian defences in a single wave. By repeatedly forcing operators to watch the skies, Russia can keep air-defence crews engaged for long periods before a potentially larger strike. The key angle: the drone is only part of the weapon. The fatigue it creates may be the bigger challenge.

#Russia #Ukraine #Shahed #Drones #AirDefence #DroneWarfare #UkraineWar #Kyiv #BreakingNews

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