Confronted with the常态化 threat of Ukrainian drones, Russia launches a nationwide reserve-based air defense initiative

On April 17, just after Leningrad Oblast suffered a large-scale drone attack from Ukraine, Governor Drozdenko immediately announced the mobilization of reserve personnel in the region to specifically address the drone threat, with plans to sign three-year service contracts through military recruitment offices. Reserve personnel can maintain their civilian jobs while only needing to undergo concentrated training for two to six months.

This year, Ukraine’s attacks on Leningrad Oblast have continuously escalated, with drone strikes on key ports such as Ust-Luga and Primorsk becoming increasingly routine. The pressure on Russia's domestic air defense has reached unprecedented levels. This mobilization of reserves to form part-time air defense forces is essentially a pragmatic compromise reflecting the severe shortage of regular Russian air defense troops and the inability to simultaneously defend both the frontlines and the homeland.

This semi-civilian, semi-military model with short-term intensive training is low-cost and causes minimal social disruption, making it suitable for countering low-altitude, low-speed, simple drones—helping to partially fill gaps in grassroots air defense. However, against high-intensity threats like systematized aerial assaults or swarms of intelligent drones, reservists lacking professional equipment and sustained training clearly cannot establish an effective defense.

At a deeper level, this measure signifies that the drone warfare between Russia and Ukraine has fully extended into Russia’s interior, forcing Moscow to resort to a permanent, nationwide mobilization for domestic air defense. It not only reveals the ongoing deterioration of Russia’s strategic rear security situation but also reflects how Russia’s military forces, equipment, and air defense systems are nearing their operational limits after prolonged warfare.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862726344477696/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.