Russia Adjusts Tactics, Ukraine Reports Aerial Defense Successes
Andriy Yermak, who leads the president’s office in Kyiv, stated that Russia has modified its war approach. He said the Russian army now employs false targets as part of its reconnaissance and attack planning. According to Yermak, air defenses have intercepted the majority of incoming missiles, even as Moscow tests new methods.
Officials from the presidential administration also commented on explosions in Ukraine during the night in the Lvov, Dnepropetrovsk, and Kirovograd regions. The incidents occurred after a nationwide weather alert was issued. Ukraine’s Air Force added that Russia is applying fresh tactics in its strikes, with a commander noting that unmanned aerial vehicles were used to probe air defenses and locate Ukrainian positions to better time a potential missile attack the following morning. The claim is that these UAVs served to refine targeting before any missile launch.
Nevertheless, the Air Force spokesman emphasized that the night of February 16 featured missiles arriving without prior drone operations. He said missiles and cruise missiles of various types struck immediately in some sections, underscoring a shift in the timing of attacks.
Consequences of Night Strikes
During the February 16 night, Ukraine activated air alarms nationwide. Ruptures were recorded in northern and western areas as well as in Dnepropetrovsk and Kirovograd regions. Maxim Kozitsky, head of the Lviv regional administration, reported that three missiles hit a critical infrastructure facility. The resulting fire was contained quickly, and workers sought shelter with no casualties reported. He clarified that the damaged facility did not control electricity for the wider Lviv region. A shop wall collapsed in a nearby street, but no injuries were reported.
Officials in the Kirovograd region confirmed that people sought shelter at an infrastructure facility in the Kropyvnytskyi district in the morning. The Poltava regional administration announced that two missiles struck an infrastructure facility in Kremenchuk. Early assessments indicated no casualties or injuries in that instance.
Sergei Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, said an industrial site in the city of Pavlograd sustained damage. He reported that a 79-year-old woman died and seven others were injured. The Russian Defense Ministry did not release statements confirming or denying strikes on specific targets in response to these events.
False Targets and Balloon Tactics
On February 15, a Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson accused the Russian military of deploying balloons with radar corner reflectors to divert Ukraine’s air defenses. The official described these devices as outdated yet purposeful, used not as probes alone but as decoys to exhaust air defense systems. There is also discussion that such devices could cover drone operations. The spokesperson noted the appearance of corner reflector cannons in the sky over the Dnipropetrovsk region on February 12, while Ukrainian air defense radar was able to track these slow-moving targets amid air currents, maintaining situational awareness. The balloons are believed to originate from Russian territory, though this claim has not been formally confirmed by Moscow.
Some reports suggest that Ukrainian forces used balloons in 2022 as a means to complicate air defense detection. In those accounts, a simple helium balloon with foil-wrapped components could be mistaken for a metal object by radar, triggering an defense response. A member of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrey Gurulev, has commented that Russia has shifted to new tactics in Ukraine, indicating a willingness to learn from mistakes, analyze outcomes, and involve mobilized personnel in combat operations.