During May 2023, Russia launched more than 300 Iranian Shahed attack drones against Ukraine, the most intensive use of this weapon system to date, the British Ministry of Defense reported, citing its intelligence.
“Russia is probably launching so many UAVs in an attempt to force Ukraine to release its stockpile of valuable advanced air defense missiles. Russia is unlikely to have been particularly successful: Ukraine neutralized at least 90% of the attacking UAVs, using mostly its older and cheaper air defense weapons and electronic jamming equipment,” the report said.
British intelligence notes that Russia is also likely to have attempted to strike Ukrainian forces far behind the front line, but Moscow continues to be “very ineffective at striking dynamic targets at range due to poor targeting processes.”
In May, Russia massively attacked Ukraine with both drones and missiles. According to the KMVA, last month Kyiv suffered at least 17 Russian air attacks.
A child among the dead: the consequences of Russia’s attack on Kyiv on International Children’s Day (photo evidence)
On the night of June 1, Russia launched 10 Iskander missiles over Kyiv and the Kyiv region. Ukrainian air defense shot them all down, but the debris fell on the city.