Russian cruise missiles fly in circles around cities to exhaust Ukraine’s air defense – official

In addition, Shahed kamikaze drones exhaust Ukraine's ammunition and identify weak points in air defense Russia continues its campaign of terrorizing Ukraine through air strikes, aiming to target the weak points in the country's air defense system and sow panic among its citizens, according to Colonel Yuri Ignat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force. During the national telethon, Colonel Ignat provided details on the recent attacks:

"This time, they deployed kamikaze drones, reconnaissance drones, and missiles that essentially flew in circles (they are programmed to circle around cities). What is their goal? The intention to sow panic is something I won't even consider, as it is always present.   In general, the objective is to divert the attention of the air defense system and identify its weak points. Shakhed drones are used to exhaust our ammunition and target the vulnerabilities in our air defense system.   The missiles are also meant to deceive us, as they are launched in one direction and then change course, circling along their flight path. Wherever possible, they naturally get destroyed," Ihnat said, reminding that the last night, Ukraine destroyed four of six Kh-101-Kh-55 cruise missiles.

Colonel Ignat reminded that the Kh-55 missiles are originally designed as carriers of tactical nuclear warheads, but Russia often uses them (empty) as false targets to further exhaust the Ukrainian air defense system. According to the officer, this may indicate that the enemy is possibly conserving its stockpile of high-precision long-range weapons while also attempting to force Ukraine to expend its resources on shooting down the guided anti-aircraft missiles.