- The Washington Times - Monday, December 23, 2024

More than half of the drones Russia sent into Ukraine in recent months were decoys intended to overwhelm Ukrainian air defense systems, British military officials said Monday.

In November, the Kremlin launched about 2,300 unmanned aircraft systems at targets inside Ukraine. As many as 60% may have been “decoys” that are smaller and less expensive than the Iranian-designed Shahed-class attack drones, British officials said on X in their latest battlefield assessment of the Russia-Ukraine war.

“Their purpose is to complicate the Ukrainian defensive effort through saturating or confusing the radar picture, forcing more work on the Ukrainian Air Defense teams in hopes of causing fatigue over time,” British officials said.

Some decoys carry a small payload of explosives, up to 5 kilograms, meaning they are still dangerous if they reach their targets.

British officials noted that Russian drone launches have decreased this month, with only about 850 so far. The weather may be to blame, as there have been several launches of large drone waves followed by periods of little activity.

Analysts say Moscow’s drone production facilities and launch sites haven’t been seriously degraded by Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. Russia can turn out about 1,500 drones every month, meaning the Kremlin can hit targets across Ukraine while it continues to replenish its stock of long-range missiles.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.

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