Russia launches record drone assault on Ukraine's anniversary
On the night of February 23 to 24, 2025, marking the third anniversary of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Russia launched the largest drone attack since the conflict began, deploying 265 drones, reports the Defense Romania portal.
Yuriy Ignat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, confirmed that the Russians employed a record-setting number of drones for the attack on Ukraine. On that night, Russia used a total of 265 machines.
Ukrainian air defence in action
During the attack, Ukrainian air defence managed to shoot down 138 drones. The remaining 119 drones, which according to Ignat were intended as decoys, vanished without causing any damage. Ignat did not specify what happened to the remaining drones.
In response to the Russian attack, the Ukrainian army conducted its own drone operations on Russian territory. The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that Russian air defence shot down 20 Ukrainian drones over six regions of the country.
The Ukrainians did not specify which particular drones, in such record numbers, struck Ukraine on the conflict's third anniversary. However, it can be assumed that they were the most commonly used Shahed-136 on the front lines.
Russians stockpile more and more drones
The Russian army has been following a tactic of stockpiling drones over a longer period to launch mass attacks — which seems to have been the case with the attack on February 23 to 24. It's worth noting that the Shaheds (known in Russia as Geran-2) have recently been upgraded. Russians are now equipping them with 91-kilogram warheads, much larger than the previous versions. Earlier generations had warheads weighing about 50 kilograms.
The increase in explosive payload enhances the effectiveness of the Shaheds when they reach their targets. However, the larger warhead size means the Russians have had to decrease the Shaheds' range. From the previous 1,350 kilometres, the new Shaheds now reach a distance of about 640 kilometres.
Intensification of strikes
It's important to note that the production of Shahed drones has significantly ramped up in recent months. In the first half of 2024, Moscow launched exactly 2,277 drones, while from August to October 2024, it was about 4,300 units. In October alone, the Russian Federation launched over 2,000 Shahed drones.
