Ukraine warns of worsening winter as Russian drone attacks surge
Ukraine says Russian forces have intensified strikes on civilian infrastructure this winter, using new jet-engine drones, while its air defenses are weakening.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that Russia is intensifying bombardments of civilian infrastructure this winter, hoping to turn the tide of its invasion. The latest Russian jet-engine drones have inflicted heavy damage on Ukrainian cities, and the proportion of intercepted drones has dropped markedly. Military analyst Ilmari Käihkö links the shift to a seasonal pattern, where ground offensives stall and air campaigns rise as weather worsens.
He warns that winter weather hampers detection and makes air strikes more lethal for civilians, raising the risk of a humanitarian disaster in large urban areas. The analyst also highlighted that Russia’s increased production of weapons and the weakening of Ukraine’s air defense could prolong the conflict, while Western sanctions evasion remains a concern.
Why it matters
Escalating civilian attacks and weakened air defenses could cause a severe humanitarian crisis in Ukraine this winter.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 Russia multiplies jet-powered Shahed drone strikes fivefold in one month
- Sep 20 Officials reported that 249 unmanned aircraft were intercepted in the latest wave of attacks.
- Sep 21 Election commission chair Ella Pamfilova said preliminary results will be announced Monday at 11 hours (10 hours in Paris).
- Sep 21 Russia's defence ministry said it will increase the frequency and precision of its strikes on Kyiv.
- Sep 21 Partial results show United Russia holding at least 338 of the 450 Duma seats.
- Sep 21 The Quai d’Orsay condemns holding the vote in the occupied territories of Crimea and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, calling it a violation of international law and the UN Charter and stating Fran
- Sep 25 Ukrainian commanders announced further territorial gains around Lyman since the initial report.
- Sep 27 Operators now use Discord to coordinate the robots with drones.
- Sep 28 Poland’s Government Security Center warned residents of Lublin Voivodeship of a possible air attack following a Russian strike on western Ukraine, while Polish air forces began patrolling national airspace.
- Sep 28 Ukrainian forces announced the latest village recaptures as part of Operation Vivaldi’s third phase.
- Sep 29 The assaults involved missiles and roughly 190 drones targeting Kyiv's communication and energy facilities, as well as critical sites in Zjytomyr, Mykolajiv, Kirovohrad, Rivne, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Tsjerkasy. Officials reported multiple deaths, among them a child, and a number of injuries across the country. Power outages affected thousands of households, but DTEK engineers restored electricity to about 8,000 homes. Neighboring NATO members Romania and Poland deployed fighter jets to patrol their airspace during the attacks.
- Oct 2 Russian drones struck Kyiv’s Southern and Paton bridges and a residential block in Darnytskyi district.
- Oct 2 Vladimir Poutine a décidé d’agir « sans plus aucune règle » contre des cibles civiles, affirme Volodymyr Zelensky.
- Oct 3 A new drone impact occurred near the Yahodyn crossing.
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