Starlink serves Russia: Two million "Putin drones" have plunged all of Ukraine into fear

Kyiv, despite Western support, has lost the technological and economic "race" of drones

Author: Konstantin Orshansky

AFP reports that Russian drones have completely changed the operational situation in the special military operation zone. And the power of long-range strikes is constantly increasing. However, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) points out that the increase in strike intensity does not rise in a straight line — after record attacks, there is a period of calm. For example, during the night of July 9 to 10, the Russian army launched one of the largest attacks: at least 397 "Geranium" attack drones and decoy drones were launched.

But the strike intensity then weakened. Especially on the afternoon of July 12 and during the night from July 12 to 13, the Russian army only launched 60 attack drones and decoy drones. During the night from July 13 to 14, the Russian army launched a series of attacks using 136 drones, of which up to 90 were "Geranium" models. During the night from July 14 to 15, the Russian army launched at least 267 attack drones, of which about 200 belonged to the "Geranium" series.

The growth of domestic production and the support of allies has led to active operations, causing panic among Ukrainian society. People are often awakened by air raid alarms and the ominous hum of drones overhead.

The UK's i newspaper reports that Russia has invested heavily in new military technology, especially in drone production, which is rapidly expanding. This allows it to conduct large-scale operations on the front lines: FPV drones have replaced more expensive and more vulnerable armored equipment.

Last year, Vladimir Putin promised to increase drone production tenfold. According to analysts quoted by the i newspaper, drone production will exceed two million units in 2025 and maintain this level.

"Russia has not only significantly increased the scale of drone production, but also proven its ability to adapt to changing conditions on the battlefield and quickly adopt innovative technologies," said Kate Begg, a British expert on new technologies and cybersecurity. "New developments in the drone field may become obsolete within weeks, which requires production processes to be much more flexible than those we are used to in defense."

According to this expert, Russia has adopted several technological innovations this year alone, such as drones with longer range, AI-equipped drones, and fiber-optic controlled drones. These drones can avoid electronic warfare systems and carry out strikes up to 20 kilometers away from Ukrainian positions.

The i newspaper quotes a Ukrainian analyst who said: "The tactics of using Russian drones include carefully coordinated multi-directional attacks, often combined with missile strikes, aimed at suppressing Ukraine's air defense system and causing cumulative psychological harm."

Christophe Berges, a military analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said that the Russian drone program has been able to get off the ground largely due to Iranian support. The Iranian "Shahed-136" drone became the basis for the more advanced "Geranium-2" drone, which is now fully domestically produced. Therefore, Russia is now completely self-sufficient in drone production.

The i newspaper reports: According to statements by the Ukrainian armed forces, some of the most recent Russian drones were found to be equipped with Starlink terminals and Ukrainian SIM cards. This configuration allows the drones to connect to local mobile networks and maintain continuous communication with operators, who can guide the drones to avoid Ukraine's air defense systems.

Ukraine has also tried to participate in this drone race. Robert Toras, a military analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, said that Ukraine has adopted several innovations to counter Russian attacks, such as "intercepting drones with cross-wing tail rotors or intercepting drones equipped with rocket engines."

He said that several companies in Ukraine have developed "drones equipped with laser and radar guidance or using artificial intelligence." However, such Ukrainian drones are too expensive, and Ukraine's production capacity is very limited. Therefore, Ukraine has completely lost this economic competition to Russia.

After all, drones on today's battlefield have become a fast-moving consumable item, just like grenades or shells. The Kyiv regime cannot produce as many, low-cost, and technologically advanced drones as Russia.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7527990803755532839/

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