OtterOrbit
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Ukraine Struggles to Defend Against Russia's Increasing Air Assaults
The Ukrainian defenders are bracing themselves for another long night of alarms, as Russian air raids continue to intensify across the country. The sound of drones fills the air, followed by a boom that rattles windows and sends flames towering over storage tanks at the Shebelinka gas processing plant in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
This is just one of many sites hit overnight, with Moscow launching more than 3,000 drones, 92 missiles, and almost 1,400 glide bombs against Ukraine since October 5. The Ukrainian air defence troops are struggling to keep up with the increasing number of attacks, with each alarm sparking a frantic scramble to reach their firing points.
"It's really hard," said Yury Dovgan, an air defence soldier. "If it's flying at a height of 1,500 metres, it's like trying to hit the head of a match. And then you need to hit the drone's engine or explosive payload." Successes are far fewer than they would hope, with the stress coming not from the short window to shoot down the drones, but from the knowledge that missing means giving the Russians an advantage.
The war in the air has become increasingly significant as the conflict on the ground becomes bogged down. Russia's use of hundreds of glide bombs a week, largely delivered by SU-34s to smash into positions, is having a significant impact on Ukraine's ability to hold the line. The Russians have also refined their route plans and identified air defence sites.
Justin Bronk, an airpower and technology research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, believes that Russia's use of its missiles has become more effective, with variants like the Iskander ballistic missile equipped with decoys that can be released in the terminal phase of its flight. "It's not surprising after hundreds and hundreds of engagements, Russia has learned a lot about what makes intercepts by Patriot anti-missile batteries less likely," he said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has adapted its offensive tactics to counter Russia's air assaults. Frequent long range strikes on Moscow's oil refineries have created fuel shortages and damaged Russia's economy. Raids on Russian airbases – including the complex Spider's Web drone attack – have forced Russia to relocate its bombers ever further away from Ukraine's borders.
The situation is dire, with hospitals like hospital 13 in Kharkiv hit by Russian glide bombs for the second time in seven months. The damage wreaked by the air war is plain to see: shattered wards with blown out doors and windows, patients injured by flying glass, and hospital vehicles turned to crushed scrap metal.
As the conflict rages on, it's clear that Ukraine's ability to defend against Russia's increasing air assaults is a critical issue. Can Ukraine keep up with the Russians' relentless air campaign, or will Moscow gain an air superiority that could change the course of the war?
The Ukrainian defenders are bracing themselves for another long night of alarms, as Russian air raids continue to intensify across the country. The sound of drones fills the air, followed by a boom that rattles windows and sends flames towering over storage tanks at the Shebelinka gas processing plant in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
This is just one of many sites hit overnight, with Moscow launching more than 3,000 drones, 92 missiles, and almost 1,400 glide bombs against Ukraine since October 5. The Ukrainian air defence troops are struggling to keep up with the increasing number of attacks, with each alarm sparking a frantic scramble to reach their firing points.
"It's really hard," said Yury Dovgan, an air defence soldier. "If it's flying at a height of 1,500 metres, it's like trying to hit the head of a match. And then you need to hit the drone's engine or explosive payload." Successes are far fewer than they would hope, with the stress coming not from the short window to shoot down the drones, but from the knowledge that missing means giving the Russians an advantage.
The war in the air has become increasingly significant as the conflict on the ground becomes bogged down. Russia's use of hundreds of glide bombs a week, largely delivered by SU-34s to smash into positions, is having a significant impact on Ukraine's ability to hold the line. The Russians have also refined their route plans and identified air defence sites.
Justin Bronk, an airpower and technology research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, believes that Russia's use of its missiles has become more effective, with variants like the Iskander ballistic missile equipped with decoys that can be released in the terminal phase of its flight. "It's not surprising after hundreds and hundreds of engagements, Russia has learned a lot about what makes intercepts by Patriot anti-missile batteries less likely," he said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has adapted its offensive tactics to counter Russia's air assaults. Frequent long range strikes on Moscow's oil refineries have created fuel shortages and damaged Russia's economy. Raids on Russian airbases – including the complex Spider's Web drone attack – have forced Russia to relocate its bombers ever further away from Ukraine's borders.
The situation is dire, with hospitals like hospital 13 in Kharkiv hit by Russian glide bombs for the second time in seven months. The damage wreaked by the air war is plain to see: shattered wards with blown out doors and windows, patients injured by flying glass, and hospital vehicles turned to crushed scrap metal.
As the conflict rages on, it's clear that Ukraine's ability to defend against Russia's increasing air assaults is a critical issue. Can Ukraine keep up with the Russians' relentless air campaign, or will Moscow gain an air superiority that could change the course of the war?
. It seems like Russia is just getting more aggressive by the day, and those drone attacks are taking a huge toll on Ukraine's defense systems. I mean, 3,000 drones launched at one time? That's crazy talk! 
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. Fuel shortages are no joke, and it must be really tough for them right now. And what about those airbases in Russia? The fact that they're getting hit and forcing Moscow to relocate its bombers is just another layer of complexity 
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. That's not even part of the war – it's civilians who are paying the price 
. Can Ukraine keep up with Russia's air campaign? I'm not sure what the answer is... but one thing for sure, we need to be supporting them in any way we can 
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they r goin thru hell rn w/ these crazy Russian air raids 
3k drones & missiles launchd every nite?!?! hows their air defence doin?! 
it's like they r tryna hit the head of a match lol 
gotta hop 2 it 
they r launching like 3000 drones n stuff! i feel 4 them tho, def defence troops got it tough 
those glide bombs r so scary 
But Ukraine's not giving up, they've been hitting back hard with long range strikes on Moscow's oil refineries 
It's a cat-and-mouse game out there, but I'm worried about the civilians caught in the middle 
Can we find a way to reduce the number of casualties? Is it even possible for Ukraine to defend themselves against such intense air assaults? 
The Russians need to be held accountable for this escalating air war. Ukraine needs to step up its game and find a way to counter these attacks before it's too late... or is it already?