Russia's attack on Ukraine on March 23-24 may signal a dangerous shift in strike tactics, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) say, noting that such actions allow the enemy to hold regions under threat for longer and inflict greater damage on civilian infrastructure.
According to Serhiy Beskrestnov, an advisor to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the change in the duration of the attacks may be aimed at identifying weaknesses in Ukrainian air defense. At the same time, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, notes that Russia has long been accumulating resources for carrying out larger and longer strikes.
ISW analysts note the nature of Russian military operations: they launch a limited number of missiles over several days, followed by massive attacks, combining missiles with a large number of drones. This tactic allows them to overload Ukrainian air defenses and increase the effectiveness of strikes.
It is also noted that Russia could have accumulated a significant number of long-range strike drones. According to analysts, Moscow is aiming to reach the level of attacks using over a thousand drones in a single series.
In addition, attacks may be synchronized with diplomatic events. In particular, the latest strikes took place after US-Ukrainian negotiations, which may indicate an attempt to put pressure on political processes.
Experts emphasize that in the context of such an escalation, supporting Ukraine with air defense means, in particular Patriot systems, which are capable of effectively intercepting ballistic missiles, remains critically important.
At the same time, Russia is trying to use the global shortage of such systems and general tensions in the world to intensify its strike campaign against Ukraine.
Recall that we previously wrote that during the new offensive, Russia will suffer significant losses in manpower, which indicates the high intensity of hostilities and the Kremlin's readiness to continue offensive operations despite heavy losses.
