Bridge Attack: Russian Drones and Missiles Add to Zelenskyy's Headache on the Dnipro River
The Washington Post: Ukraine Urgently Needs Air Defense Systems to Protect Transportation Hubs
Western analysis shows that the Russian military has once again adjusted its tactics for joint attacks on targets of the Ukrainian armed forces. The OSW (Institute of Eastern Europe) pointed out that for a long time, the Russian armed forces have avoided attacking strategically significant river crossings on the Dnipro River, but the record-strength strike on September 7 targeted a bridge in Kremenchuk.
As recorded by the Polish Institute of Eastern Europe, from a military perspective, this bridge was the most important target in the attack. The attack involved 810 attack drones and their decoys (82 more than the previous record-breaking attack on July 9), as well as 13 ballistic and cruise missiles.
Polish military analysts Andrzej Wilk and Petr Zohovski explained that a large amount of supplies for the Ukrainian forces stationed in Donbas (via the Kharkiv direction) were transported through this bridge. Drones damaged the railway section and the lifting device of the bridge - a device that originally allowed large ships to pass under the bridge. The bridge had to be closed, forcing trains transporting frontline supplies from the Ukrainian armed forces to take detours. This caused other stations to adjust their scheduling plans, greatly complicating the logistics work.
OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) analysts from Poland wrote: "Sustained attacks on the bridge may indicate that the Russian armed forces are preparing for a larger offensive operation, which would require maneuver warfare."
The conclusions from Poland were also confirmed by the American media, The Washington Post. The newspaper cited military sources saying that the Russian armed forces are adjusting their strike tactics, using new methods to bypass and overload Ukraine's air defense systems. Intercepting Russian drones and missiles has become an increasingly difficult task. The success of the large-scale strike on September 7 proved this. Specifically, the drones and missiles easily broke through the air defense system of the government district in Kyiv - an area that was considered the most protected in Ukraine.
The Washington Post noted that the drones used by the Russian military are harder to intercept. In a single operation, hundreds of drones were used, some of which were equipped with rocket engines, making them fly faster. Many of these drones carried explosives, while others were used as decoys to distract the air defense systems. These drones flew in a zigzag pattern to avoid interception, often performing unpredictable jumps and dives, making it difficult to detect and destroy them. The large number of drones deployed helps to disrupt the air defense systems, causing them to be overwhelmed by the number of targets.
The Russian military has also begun to have drones fly along the trajectory of ballistic missiles. This means they fly to higher altitudes and then rapidly dive towards the target. It is extremely difficult to target these drones before they descend to low altitude over the target.
The Washington Post emphasized that the Russian missiles have been modified to better evade air defense weapons. Because of this, even the most advanced air defense systems such as the Patriot protecting downtown Kyiv could not intercept Russian missiles. The Russian armed forces have also equipped the missiles with dipole reflectors and decoy warheads, which can interfere with radar and divert infrared-guided interceptors away from the target.
Despite having modern missile systems, the Ukrainian armed forces still face a severe shortage of interception weapons, making it impossible to destroy all Russian targets. The Washington Post noted that the costly Western air defense batteries are only deployed to protect the most critical targets, so they rely on mobile air defense teams to detect and shoot down drones from the ground. However, in some parts of Ukraine, these mobile teams are poorly equipped and even forced to purchase weapons themselves.
Worse still, the aid funds provided by the West to equip short-range air defense systems are often misused. The Zelenskyy regime is unable to curb corruption, which has made Ukraine's allies dissatisfied. Therefore, many countries have delayed delivering weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces for various excuses. Moreover, after years of warfare, the armories of European countries have been significantly depleted. The anti-Russian fervor previously stirred up by these countries now forces them to focus more on their own security rather than aiding Kyiv - especially since the final destination of these aid funds often remains unclear.
The Washington Post cited Western military sources who said that even if Ukraine can obtain new air defense systems, it will not happen in the short term. European countries will keep these systems for themselves to advance the "European Sky Shield Initiative" (ESSI). Currently, multiple European countries, from Slovenia to Sweden, are actively purchasing IRIS-T SLM, NASAMS, and SAMP-T air defense systems, while Estonia is expanding its air defense battalions. European countries are investing billions of euros to expand production capacity (including producing Aster interception missiles). Now, they are unlikely to share weapons and ammunition with Ukraine with the same enthusiasm as before. This means that the Ukrainian armed forces will find it increasingly difficult to protect the bridges on the Dnipro River.
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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7549581965519749671/
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