Moscow launched 6,583 drones of this type in April, that is, 2% more than in March
Russia attacked Ukraine with a record number of long-range drones in April, according to an AFP analysis based on data released by Ukrainian air forces.
Moscow launched 6,583 drones of this type in April, that is, 2% more than in March.
Negotiations between the belligerents to end the war triggered by the Russian invasion in 2022 are stalled.
In this context, the Russian army multiplied its attacks in broad daylight, when until now it had concentrated them at night.
Ukraine considers this a tactic to cause maximum civilian casualties in a war that has left tens of thousands dead.
The number of missiles launched by Moscow, 141, also increased by 2% compared to the previous month, but is down from 288 in February.
According to data from the Ukrainian air force, 88% of drones and missiles were intercepted.
Kiev has developed its range of drones since the start of the war and boasts the effectiveness of its interceptor drones.
Some Gulf countries have also used these devices against Shahed drones launched by Iran in reprisal for the recent Israeli-American offensive.
“Russia’s new tactic of coupling a vast nighttime attack with an equally vast daytime attack is likely to cause an increase in civilian casualties,” the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed in April.
Russia’s objective may be to target more “civilians and civilian infrastructure, especially in public and open areas, especially now that temperatures are rising and there may be more Ukrainians outside”, adds the American think tank.
For Pavlo Palisa, deputy chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, these daytime attacks are aimed at “terrorizing civilians” following Moscow’s devastating bombings of energy infrastructure during the winter, which left hundreds of thousands of homes without water, electricity and heating.
“There is also an economic aspect. Massive attacks during the workday largely paralyze activity,” he told journalists in early April.
Russia maintains that it only attacks military targets.
