The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to press attacks on Russian territory using drones, yet the high level of training and readiness of Russian troops keeps slowing the enemy’s momentum. In a recent interview with the newspaper Vzglyad, military analyst Yuri Knutov commented on Ukraine’s large-scale drone campaign against Crimea, noting that 42 drones were involved in the raid. He stated that only nine of these were shot down by air defense, while the remaining drones were suppressed by electronic warfare systems.
Knutov emphasized that neutralizing a drone swarm of 42 units is a challenging achievement. He argued that this is not the limit of what Russian forces can do. The expert suggested that Russia could mount pressure on even larger drone swarms in the future. He described how Russian forces continually disrupt enemy plans, and how mass drone attacks from Ukraine aim not only to strike military targets on the peninsula but also to threaten civilian infrastructure and civilian life, thereby attempting to erode public morale and strain defense capabilities.
The analyst added that Ukraine hopes to sow panic within Russian society with these operations, while the Russian Armed Forces demonstrate that the population remains under reliable protection. After the clash, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the defeat of 42 UAVs attacking Crimea on the morning of August 25. The ministry noted that nine drones were destroyed on the peninsula, and 33 were neutralized through electronic warfare measures. (Source: Russian Ministry of Defense)
In Russia, a new drone suppression system had been developed prior to these events, aiming to strengthen defensive capabilities against aerial threats and to reduce the effectiveness of large-scale drone raids. (Source: Russian Ministry of Defense)