Expert explains why Russians choose a difficult route for drone attacks and what is the main goal

Last night, the occupiers attacked Ukraine with 14 Shahed drones, launching them along a complex trajectory. In this way, the enemy continues to "test" the capabilities of Ukrainian air defense as its primary goal is not to strike but to test new routes with accompanying intelligence activities.

This was stated by Oleksandr Kovalenko, an expert, columnist for the Information Resistance group and blogger known by the pseudonym "Zlyi Odesyt" (Angry Odesa resident). In his Telegram channel, he noted that on the night of November 22, Ukrainian air defense forces showed a 100 percent result, shooting down all 14 attack drones launched by Russia.

The air alert lasted more than seven and a half hours.

"I would like to note the systemic complexity of the route and flight path of the drones. That is, they are not choosing the shortest route, for example, to Starokostiantyniv, but alternative options, which indicates that the enemy continues to test the capabilities of our air defense system in terms of coverage. This suggests that the primary goal of the current raids is not to strike specific targets but to test new routes with accompanying reconnaissance activities," the expert explained.

Kovalenko added that as of November 22, Russia had used 240 Shahed-131/136 UAVs in Ukraine.

"This is not the record number of September (521), or even May (413), but it indicates the accumulation of this component as well," he said.

In addition, the expert drew attention to the fact that before the drone attack on the Odesa region, enemy tactical aviation used an X-31P anti-radar missile, which could be"an attempt to reveal Odesa air defense to adjust the route."

Kovalenko also noted that the aggressor country used an X-22 missile to attack Zaporizhzhia for the first time in ages. It "fell into a field as expected," although the blast wave damaged private buildings. The last time these missiles were used was on August 15, during a missile attack on Odesa and the region, the expert recalled.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, Russia launched 14 Shahed drones at Ukraine at night. All of them were shot down. The occupiers also attacked the port infrastructure of Odesa and Zaporizhzhia with X-31P missiles.

Only verified information on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!