Russian army changes tactics of launching "Shaheds": Ukrainian Armed Forces announce nuances

The Russian invaders have changed the tactics of launching Iranian kamikaze drones. Now the enemy is trying to lay routes for the "Shahed" through residential areas of Ukrainian cities.

In this way, the invaders plan to complicate the work of Ukrainian air defense and cause maximum damage. This was stated by Natalia Gumenyuk, head of the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces, during a telethon.

According to her, the Ukrainian military has recently been recording the occupiers' efforts to complicate the trajectory of kamikaze drones during attacks on Ukraine.

"We are noticing a change in enemy tactics: they are really trying to create complex drone trajectories to exhaust the air defense system, complicate our work, and inflict maximum damage. During this nighttime attack, almost all Odesa residents recorded drones flying right among residential neighborhoods. Where, in principle, stationary air defense systems cannot be deployed," noted Gumenyuk.

By flying the Shaheds over residential areas, the Russians are counting on the fact that even if shot down, the kamikaze drone will cause disaster. After all, the wreckage of downed UAVs often catches fire, so they can start a fire after they fall. If the combat unit was not destroyed in the air, the Shahed can cause significant damage after falling.

Another goal that the enemy may pursue by resorting to new attack tactics is attempts to expose the location of air defense systems.

As a reminder, on the night of December 27, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with Iranian kamikaze drones. The invaders launched a total of 46 Shaheds at Ukraine.

The air defense was operating in Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, and Kirovohrad regions: 32 drones were shot down by air defense forces over these regions.

Some of the Shahed drones that could not be shot down were fired at Kherson region. There are casualties after night and morning attacks.

In the Odesa region, the wreckage of a downed Shahed fell on a residential building in the suburbs of Odesa. There are two dead and three wounded, including a 17-year-old teenager who was hospitalized in moderate condition.

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