New Ukrainian drone tactics take Russian forces completely by surprise — The Guardian
Ukrainian drones hunting Russian logistics in deep rear (Photo: 3rd Separate Special Forces Regiment / Facebook)
A new Ukrainian drone tactic targeting a major supply route between occupied Ukraine and Russia has taken enemy forces completely by surprise, The Guardian reported on June 11.
As the author of the publication noted, the Russian occupiers call this highway Novorossiya, but Ukrainian forces have renamed it the "highway of death," since it is now under the fire control of Defense Forces drones hunting Russian transport columns.
For Moscow, this road, almost entirely closed to civilian traffic since late last month, holds special significance, the article's author noted. It serves as the primary land supply corridor for Russian occupation troops in the south, bypassing the vulnerable Kerch Bridge.
Drivers record footage showing not only burnt-out trucks on the side of the road. Some videos also capture the drone attacks themselves.
This week, traffic on the Chongar Bridge, which connects the occupied part of Kherson Oblast with annexed Crimea, was also halted after a series of Ukrainian drone strikes, The Guardian recalled.
The goal of the Ukrainian strikes is to hit enemy targets at a distance of 20 to 200 kilometers from the front line, focusing on logistics and supply routes.
The publication also cited data shared by Robert (Madyar) Brovdi, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces. On June 9, he stated that systematic Ukrainian drone strikes had collapsed military cargo traffic on the R-280 highway by 71%.
Ukrainian units have not disclosed the details of their new tactics, but a key element is likely the use of drone swarms to strike logistics routes in such numbers that it appears to have taken Russian forces by surprise, The Guardian wrote.
It is known that U.S.-made Hornet strike drones have been actively involved in the attacks. The Defense Forces also appear to have used the new Ukrainian Morrigan drone.
Collaborator and so-called "governor" of Zaporizhzhya Oblast, Yevgeny Balitsky, also claimed that Ukrainian drones are remotely mining the highway near temporarily Russian-occupied Berdyansk. He urged drivers to "limit trips without urgent need."
The Guardian also noted that the new Ukrainian tactic has been highlighted by analysts, including the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
In a recent report, experts stated that Ukrainian medium-range strikes are already yielding tangible operational results, notably degrading Russia's ability to use key logistics routes connecting Russia with occupied Crimea, such as the M-14 Rostov-Crimea highway, as well as logistics routes linking the occupied territories of southern Ukraine with Donetsk.
In early June, Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov noted that Ukrainian drone attacks along the land corridor to the peninsula are not a new operation, but rather an ongoing, systematic campaign. According to him, the destruction of this section, which Russia turned into the main supply artery for its troops in the south, significantly complicates the occupiers' plans.
The main blow to the supply of the enemy's southern grouping was the de facto closure of the federal R-280 Novorossiya highway (the occupiers also call it the Northern Auto Route).
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