Russia has launched major revenge strikes against Ukraine overnight and into this morning, claiming almost 20 injured victims, including children. It was a devastating response to Ukraine’s large-scale attack by domestic drones on Russia’s infrastructure hours earlier.
Overnight Onslaught on Dnipro
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of an increase in deep-strike attacks on the Kremlin’s industrial structure and fuel supplies. Overnight the Kremlin’s retaliatory hits concentrated on the city of Dnipro, sparking fires and causing multiple casualties, starting late evening on Sunday but ongoing. Early this morning (Mon) Dnipro continued to face ballistic and cruise missile hits from Moscow’s air force as Vladimir Putin desperately tries to exert influence over a settlement.
Hours into the overnight attacks local officials reported 18 injured in Dnipro, including a two-year-old girl and a ten-year-old boy, both of whom are receiving treatment. Earlier on Sunday Ukraine had hit Russia with deep strike hits using homemade and cheap-but-deadly drones to attack Russian depots such as a microchip factory and an oil pumping station.
Ukraine's Strategy: Crippling Putin's War Effort
Ukraine is concentrating on hitting Vladimir Putin’s war effort with its strikes, trying to cripple energy supplies for troops and technology crucial for weaponry on the frontline. President Zelensky defended his country’s strikes against Russia in which several people were reported killed as a “completely fair response.”
He said the Ukrainian attacks were proving valuable in hitting Putin’s ability to wage war on civilians and Kyiv infrastructure. He said on Sunday: "Many partners are now signaling that they see what is happening and how everything has changed – both in attitudes toward this war and in the reachability of Russian targets on Russian territory."
Zelensky said despite Moscow’s major drive to defend Moscow “Ukrainian long-range steps are already overcoming this.” He added: “Russians should be thinking about their refineries, their oil facilities and enterprises.” One industrial site near Moscow targeted by Ukraine was the Angstrom company in Zelenograd which produces microcircuits for precision weapons and is key to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
The Solnechnogorsk pumping station, also near Moscow, was also hit as it supplies fuel to Russian forces. Ukrainian forces also targeted Russian positions on the front line and in border areas. These included Russian command posts in Kharkiv and Kherson as well as troop positions in Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian-made systems – including the RS-1 “Bars,” FP-1 “Firepoint,” and BARS-SM “Gladiator” unmanned systems – were used in the latest operation.
Drone Technology: Ukraine's Edge
The Bars-SM drone has a two-yard wingspan and is built from a much lower number of parts than usual, which speeds up production times and means they are cheaper. It can also travel 500 miles and carry 220lbs of explosives - enough to severely damage a building. Mass produced, much of it is made from plywood and it can also carry machine gun systems capable of intercepting incoming drones. Ukraine has repeatedly proved that its weapons manufacturers are capable of switching the battlefield advantage towards Kyiv. Kyiv is also proving itself to be a centre for drone technology and is advising foreign governments on the latest breakthroughs.
