Ukrainian intelligence assures that it will accelerate this year the production of gliding bombs, a type of cheap ammunition that Moscow uses daily to attack cities and defensive positions without risking its fighter planes. According to Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy director of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, the Kremlin plans to manufacture up to 120,000 units, between new models and old pumps modified to plan long distances.
Skibitskyi, who spoke with Ukrainian media, pointed out that around 500 of these bombs will correspond to a longer-range version, capable of traveling up to 200 kilometers, a distance that would allow many more Ukrainian towns to be hit without the need to use missiles. Russian production, he added, could even be preparing a model that flies up to 400 kilometers, further expanding the radius of destruction. Although Russia does not publish data on its military industry—operational 24 hours a day since the beginning of the invasion—these figures point to a notable increase in capacity.
Russian forces are currently launching between 200 and 250 glider bombs a day, says Skibitskyi. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense recorded an average of 170 hits per day last month alone. These are munitions much cheaper than missiles and difficult to intercept, capable of demolishing entire buildings thanks to their hundreds of kilos of explosives.
Cities such as Kharkov, Kherson, Odessa and Mykolaiv have suffered recent attacks with this weapon, even tens of kilometers from the front, which demonstrates – according to Kiev – the continuous improvement of Russian reach. The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the statements, maintaining its usual stance of denying attacks against civilians despite thousands of documented casualties. from 2022.
In addition to the gliding bombs, Ukrainian intelligence estimates that Russia will produce about 70,000 long-range drones, including 30,000 Shahed, key model in the campaign against the Ukrainian energy system.
The battle for Pokrovsk and the future of the front
The city of Pokrovsk, currently the scene of intense street fighting, is considered by kyiv to be a critical point. If Russian forces managed to take it, Skibitskyi believes they would advance to the administrative edges of the Donetsk region, a goal pursued by Moscow since the early days of the invasion.
North Korea
Regarding North Korean support for Russia, Ukrainian intelligence maintains that Pyongyang has sent 6.5 million artillery shells since 2023, although the pace has been drastically reduced this year due to lack of reserves. Approximately half of that ammunition would have arrived in such precarious conditions that Russia had to recondition it in own factoriesSkibitskyi added, would have also begun to produce its own kamikaze and FPV drones, using the experience gained in the Ukrainian conflict.
