Russian forces have launched a concentrated strike using dozens of Shahed-136 kamikaze drones against targets in Zaporizhzhia yesterday, marking what appears to be a shift in drone warfare tactics aimed at overwhelming Ukrainian air defenses, Defence Blog reports.
The 22 March attack on Zaporizhzhia follows similar mass drone assaults on Odesa and Kropyvnytskyi in recent days. Defence Blog suggests that the repeated nature of these concentrated assaults suggests a deliberate pattern “designed to saturate air defense systems in targeted areas, increasing the likelihood of successful penetration and impact.“
Local officials reported that a Zaporizhzhia strike killed an entire family, with a father and daughter found dead, and the critically injured mother dying after over ten hours of medical treatment. Twelve others sought medical care for injuries:
Russian aerial attacks kill five civilians in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy oblasts
The previous night, Russia launched another mass drone strike on Odesa and surrounding areas, causing extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper confirmed that three people, including a teenage girl, were injured, and fires broke out in three locations.
On 20 March, Russian drones injured at least ten people, including four children, and caused damage to residential buildings and critical railway infrastructure in Kropyvnytskyi.
Russian drones injure 10 in Kropyvnytskyi, other strikes kill at least five other civilians
“Analysts note that the recent shift toward geographically focused swarms may represent a tactical evolution intended to increase the effectiveness of these relatively low-cost systems against Ukraine’s layered air defense network,” Defence Blog wrote.
Related:
- Russian drone attack on Kyiv kills five-year-old girl, her father, injures her mother
- Russian aerial attacks kill five civilians in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy oblasts
- Forbes: Ukraine repurposes Soviet air-to-air missiles for ground-based defense
- Russian drones injure 10 in Kropyvnytskyi, other strikes kill at least five other civilians
- Sixth underground school opens in Zaporizhzhia for pupils and kindergarteners
- Fires break out at two factories in Dnipro following Russian drone strikes
- Forbes: Russian bombing accuracy plummets due to Ukrainian electronic warfare
- Russian drones strike Chernihiv apartment building, kill woman in Izium
