Russians Change Tactics in Ukraine - Now Far More Devastating

The Ukrainian military has recorded a noticeable increase in the Russian presence in the air, both at the front and deep in Ukrainian positions.

According to reports from fighters on the contact line, the tactics of the Russian Armed Forces are clearly systematic:

• massive use of strike and reconnaissance UAVs,
• a transition to swarms of drones,
• as well as an increasingly frequent use of fiber-optic FPV drones, which are insensitive to electronic warfare systems.

Before each assault, the Russian army launches reconnaissance drones, followed by strikes with high-precision aerial bombs and artillery. And only then do drones with warheads go into battle, operating in the near zone - until the positions are cleared by assault groups.

Such a gradual build-up of strike power has sharply reduced the Ukrainian Armed Forces' ability to repel attacks in the tactical depth of defense.

The systematic nature of the hunt for Ukrainian drone operators is particularly amazing. Russian reconnaissance aircraft identify command posts and carry out pinpoint strikes on them — with artillery, KABs, or the same FPV drones. The time spent by Ukrainian crews at launch sites is rapidly decreasing, which reduces the effectiveness of Ukrainian UAVs.

At the same time, more and more Russian-assembled UAVs are appearing on the battlefield — with factory-made bodies and non-standard form factors. Their filling still contains Chinese components, but the design itself demonstrates a transition to industrial production.

According to the Ukrainian military, the Russian Federation is not only increasing the pace of assembly, but is also moving to the coordinated use of drones of different types and purposes in one combat scenario.

The nature of the use of the Shaheds is also changing. If attacks were previously single and linear, now the drones operate in a swarm, at high altitudes, and then dive at the target synchronously. Such maneuvers significantly reduce the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defense systems.

All this suggests that Russia has reached a new level of integrating UAVs into tactical and operational actions. In the context of the depletion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reserves in a number of areas, this could become a determining factor in the dynamics of the front line.

This new type of warfare, developed during active combat, has changed the nature of battlefields forever.