Ukrainian Drone Swarms Are Overwhelming Moscow’s Air Defenses: Ukraine fired more than 350 drones at the Russian capital, starting on Sunday night, most of which were shot down by air defenses. This was the second consecutive night of massive drone swarms against Moscow.
Russia’s defense ministry claims to have shot down 926 drones in just the past day, as the Ukrainian military has brought increasing pressure on the air defenses of Moscow and other large cities, overwhelming them with sheer numbers.
Sukhoi Su-34 Heading Into the Sky. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Su-34 Fullback Fighter-Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said most of the 350 drones targeting the capital were shot down. He added that another 300 drones were sent the night before. Governor Andrei Vorobyov said that three people in the Moscow region were killed and five more were injured during the attack.
Flights at Moscow’s four major airports were affected, with several-hour delays reported at each.
The drone swarms targeted several key Russian military and logistical facilities, including Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region.
Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, said on Monday that drones had struck an oil depot in Russia’s Stavropol region overnight, as well as three storage tanks at an oil-loading site in the port of Kavkaz in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar.
Ukraine’s Drone Swarm Strategy Has Proven Effective
Ukraine has launched massive swarms of hundreds of drones to overwhelm and map out Moscow’s air defense networks. This is part of President Zelenskyy’s 40-day influence operation, an aggressive campaign which aims to exhaust Russia’s expensive missile stockpiles, expose gaps in radar coverage, and force Russian President Putin to stop the war and sign a peace deal.
Ukraine’s drone swarm strategy relies on overloading Russian defenses rather than relying on single, stealthy strikes. Ukrainian Unmanned Forces launch large numbers of drones—frequently exceeding 300 to 500 in a single wave—to flood Russian radar screens.
In a tactic to fool Russian air defenses, inexpensive, unarmed decoy drones are mixed in with actual strike weapons. Russian defenses can’t differentiate between targets and decoys and frequently target decoys, allowing some armed drones to get through.
By repeating the attacks several days in a row, Ukrainian drone operators learn how Russian defenses are deployed, exposing gaps in air defense coverage.
Russia’s “Shadow Fleet” Has Been Heavily Targeted
Ukrainian drones also hit 15 Russian vessels, including seven tankers and four ferries in the Sea of Azov, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.
Ukrainian Unmanned Forces Commander Robert Brovdi said that in the past eight days, Ukraine has hit 105 Russian vessels.
Brovdi said Russia’s “transshipment infrastructure is taking hits every night, traffic through the [Kerch] Strait has been halted, and unloading has been reduced to a minimum.”
Other targets included two Russian patrol boats in the Black Sea and car ferries in Kerch.
Russia uses the Kerch Strait in the Sea of Azov to move 25 percent of its grain exports. Reuters reported that shipping through the trade route was suspended last week due to Ukrainian attacks, and sources said transit remained restricted on Monday.
Other drones targeted nine energy hubs and substations that provide electricity from Russia to the occupied Crimea.
Drone Attacks Are Causing Gas Restrictions Across Russia
Ukraine’s increased attacks on Russian energy facilities in recent months, part of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s 40-day influence operation to pressure Moscow to end the war, have also kept Moscow from reaping the benefits of surging gas and oil prices earlier this spring due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Numerous Russian oblasts, or regions, have implemented gas rationing, including Moscow, a huge blow to the Russian economy. CNN reported that stated that nearly all of Russia’s 83 regions are experiencing gas shortages. Mediazona reported that rationing was taking place in 56 of them.
Eighteen Russian oblasts and Crimea have begun various rationing measures at local gas stations. However, the full scale of the shortages remains unclear, with some local restrictions limiting residents to purchasing only 30 liters of gasoline and prohibiting the filling of extra gas cans, prompting panic buying and hoarding.
Moscow is implementing a comprehensive ban on gas and diesel exports until July 31 and on aviation fuel exports until November 30 following a devastating wave of Ukrainian long-range drone strikes that have knocked out a sizable portion of the nation’s total oil refining capacity, effectively paralyzing critical energy infrastructure across central Russia.
Due to these shortages, Russia has been forced to import gas and oil from India. Al Jazeera reported that an Indian oil firm, Nayara Energy, has reportedly sold 60,000 metric tons of gas that had been dispatched from India to Russia to help combat the shortages.
More: Putin Could Massively Escalate the Ukraine War
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
