Russia Exploits "Easter Ceasefire": ISW Analyzes New Russian Attack Tactics Against Ukraine
Throughout April 15 and during the night of April 16, Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile assault on Ukraine, deploying over 700 aerial targets in total. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian occupying forces leveraged the "Easter ceasefire" from April 11 to 12 to amass such a massive stockpile of weapons, enabling them to launch large-scale attacks on Ukraine at a strategically chosen time.
The Easter ceasefire disproportionately benefited Russia, as the core of its strike tactics lies in suppressing and exhausting Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.
Typically, Russian forces initiate such large-scale, intensive strikes around key peace negotiation moments involving Ukraine—whether bilateral or trilateral talks including the United States.
The report indicates that Russia has adopted a new attack tactic capable of threatening more regions of Ukraine over a longer period and disproportionately impacting civilian areas. This tactic was first applied during Russia’s largest-ever attack campaign, which took place from March 23 to 24.
Yuri Ignat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, stated that the Russian attack waves were meticulously designed: the first wave, launched at night, consisted of drones tasked with conducting “combat reconnaissance” ahead of two main missile waves. The second wave utilized cruise missiles, while the third wave deployed ballistic missiles.
Russia first employed long-range drones and cruise missiles—weapons that are highly effective for Ukraine to intercept, thereby depleting Ukrainian air defenses—before launching ballistic missiles that are much harder to intercept as the main offensive.
Ukraine relies heavily on U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense systems and interceptors to counter Russian ballistic missiles. Clearly aware of the global shortage of Patriot interceptors and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Russia appears to be exploiting these conditions to escalate its attacks on Ukraine.
During the night of April 16, Russian forces conducted intense strikes across multiple Ukrainian regions, targeting Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Kharkiv, resulting in dozens of casualties.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia used a large number of ballistic weapons. Furthermore, this attack deviated from previous nighttime patterns—Russian strategic aviation had already been deployed as early as the daytime of April 15.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862707238758476/
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