UK Defense Ministry: Increased drone attacks likely an attempt to exhaust Ukraine's air defense

Russia has likely increased its drone attacks against Ukraine in an attempt to exhaust Ukraine's air defense missile stocks, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on June 5.

In May, Russia launched over 300 Iranian-made Shahed drones at Ukraine, with a significant number of them targeting the capital.

It was the "most intense use of this weapon system to date" but Ukraine was able to intercept "at least" 90 percent of them using "older and cheaper air defense weapons" along with electronic jamming, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote.

According to the U.K. Defense Ministry, Russia has also likely been attempting to target Ukrainian troop positions beyond the front line but remains "very ineffective at hitting such dynamic targets at range because of its poor targeting processes."

Russia used Shahed drones along with missiles last fall and winter to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure, resulting in considerable infrastructure damage and civilian deaths.

How repurposed Russian air defense missiles expose holes in Ukraine’s sky

Russia’s missile strike on Jan. 14 caught Kyiv residents off-guard. After nearly a year of Moscow’s repeated attacks, something unusual happened: The explosions sounded before the air raid alert went off, which is rarely the case in what is believed to be the most protected city in Ukraine.

The Kyiv IndependentStanislav Storozhenko