Drone swarm assault: Russia's new tactic on Odessa civilians
During the night from Thursday to Friday, a swarm of drones attacked Odessa, located on the Black Sea. Authorities in Kyiv note that Russia has altered its strategy for drone attacks on Ukraine, now focusing on sending drone swarms against civilian infrastructure.
Daria Zarivna, an advisor to the head of the President's Office of Ukraine on communications, emphasised in her Telegram post that Russia is attacking civilians with swarms of drones.
"The attacks are targeted, and Putin calls it a ceasefire"
"Russia has chosen the tactic of massive drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian cities. The attacks are targeted, and Putin calls it a ceasefire" – wrote Daria Zarivna, advisor to the head of the President's Office of Ukraine on communications, on Telegram.
On Thursday late in the evening, 20th March, Russian forces launched a massive drone attack on Odessa, located in southern Ukraine. The State Emergencies Service reported on Telegram on Friday morning, 21st March, that the attack resulted in large fires, with a shopping centre and shops burning, and a high-rise building being damaged. Preliminary information indicates that three teenagers were injured.
Earlier, in the night from Wednesday to Thursday, a similar drone attack took place in Kropyvnytskyi, in the central part of the country. Authorities assessed it as the most massive attack on this city since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
What drones does Russia use?
Russia is extensively using Shahed-136 drones. These drones are most frequently used for psychological operations aimed at intimidating city residents, or as support for other methods of attack, such as cruise missiles. This is because the drone's navigation system is basic and only allows for flight along a pre-set route, which means the Russians use it mainly for attacks on stationary targets, like residential areas, due to its low accuracy.
The Shahed-136 is a simple drone, featuring a delta-shaped wing with a wingspan of about 2.5 metres, along with two vertical stabilizers. The drone measures about 3.5 metres in length and is constructed using commercially available components. The Shahed-136 weighs about 200 kilograms, of which 50 kilograms constitutes the warhead. The remaining weight includes a fuel tank powering a Chinese boxer-type petrol engine with a power of 50 horsepower, replicating the German LIMBACH L550 E model. It's assumed that the fuel in the Shahed-136 is sufficient to cover a distance of up to 2,500 kilometres.
In their previous attacks, the Russians launched even hundreds of Shahed drones, which, combined with Ch-101 cruise missiles, pose a significant challenge for air defence systems. When targets are numerous, some Ch-101 missiles can more easily penetrate defences. Additionally, the Russians use modified Shahed drones to monitor the activity of Ukrainian air defences.
