In warfare, inflicting damage on an enemy’s morale can be just as important as targeting its armed forces.
Russia’s four-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine has seen it make few gains since the conflict began in February 2022.
Artillery from Ukraine War Creative Commons Image
The 1,000km frontline has proven difficult to break through, with Russia’s military successes limited to towns and key villages, rather than major cities now under Russian control.
Ukraine has fought valiantly.
Its armed forces have defended against an aggressor whose military capability is much greater, while its population awaits yet another miserably freezing winter alongside daily aerial attacks.
Daily Drones
Ukraine’s 40 million inhabitants are no strangers to drone attacks and ballistic missiles. For much of the war, the country has been bombarded by overnight aerial assaults, forcing millions to wake up and seek shelter.
Of late, Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has been targeted by swarms of Russian drones.
This is not new.
The city has been under attack by drones for five consecutive days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, 30th August, that nearly 2,000 drones had been launched by Russia in the days leading up to and including the weekend.
Describing “greater protection against this Russian terror” as a priority, Zelensky said: “These days, there have also been many air raid alerts in Kyiv and other regions because of Russian jet-powered drones.
Unfortunately, some of them have struck ordinary residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.”
The Ukrainian president thanked those who had provided air defense – something he has ramped up efforts to secure amid the heightened drone assaults.
However, Russia’s method of delivery is changing.
Jet Warfare
About 800 of the drones fired toward Kyiv were jet-powered. Capable of reaching 400mph, Russia’s jet-powered drones have tested an already struggling Ukrainian air defense system.
Ukraine’s existing interceptors, while cheap to make and increasingly effective against traditional propeller drones, have proved redundant against the three-times-faster jet-powered weapons.
Ukraine has begun development of specialized interceptors to deal with the modernized drone, with tests taking place last week.
“The task is to bring these solutions to the required level as quickly as possible and scale up production to thousands of units,” Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara told reporters over the weekend.
A New Approach
While the new interceptors will provide relief, Moscow is targeting the morale of Ukrainians across the country by changing the way it strikes with drones.
Rather than nightly attacks, Russia is launching drones throughout the day in different waves.
This means authorities must signal an air raid alert for each wave, forcing millions into underground shelters or metro stations until the warning ends.
By launching drones in continual waves, Russia can disrupt everyday lives for much longer in an attack on civilian willpower.
Thursday, 27th August, showcased how the Russian strategy is working. Over 24 hours, Kyiv recorded 13 air raid alerts, surpassing the single-day record of 12 set in the first week of the full-scale invasion. In total, the capital spent almost 15 hours under air raid alert.
“Again and again throughout the day, sirens sounded as Russia launched drones in small groups towards the Ukrainian capital,” wrote Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry on social media. “Each new threat put people at risk and forced them to seek safety – while repeatedly interrupting work, public services, transport, and everyday plans.”
A New Normal
Ukraine is familiar with the concept of living during warfare, having been under invasion for the previous four and a half years.
The bomb shelter has become as familiar to Ukrainians as the supermarket.
However, Russia’s new strategy will require even more resilience, as prolonged aerial assaults force civilians underground for much of the waking day.
“The enemy is trying to paralyze economic activity in the capital and major cities, so our approaches and response mechanisms must change,” Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi wrote on social media. “Prolonged air raid alerts not only affect the safety of people but also impact the work of businesses, logistics, transportation, schools, kindergartens, and other aspects of life.”
It’s hard to imagine Russia shifting away from this newfound strategy anytime soon.
If it can’t win through territorial gains, its main hope will be to break the Ukrainian people’s will. Four years (and counting) of war suggest that will be a tough task.
About the Author: Shay Bottomley
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist. He has written for the Western Standard, Business Insider, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo.
