Russia is forming cellular counter-drone items to defend its power infrastructure amid an escalating wave of Ukrainian drone assaults which have crippled the nation’s refining capability and triggered its worst gasoline scarcity in three a long time.
The transfer comes as strikes on oil refineries proceed to degrade Russian gas manufacturing, with some estimates suggesting that 20–25% of whole refining capability is now offline.
The new items, modeled partially on Ukrainian ways, are designed to detect and shoot down gradual, long-range unmanned aerial autos earlier than they attain essential infrastructure. Footage from the coaching of the primary 20 groups reveals them outfitted with mild pickup vehicles — together with modified GAZelle and UAZ “Farmer” autos — armed with twin-mounted heavy machine weapons.
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While Russian officers have portrayed the brand new formations as an pressing response to mounting drone threats, army analysts warning that their influence will probably be restricted.
Ukraine’s long-range drone marketing campaign, now in its fourth 12 months, has focused refineries deep inside Russian territory, hitting services accountable for a big share of home gasoline manufacturing. The ensuing injury has led to gas shortages not seen for the reason that Nineteen Nineties, disrupting provide and pressuring Moscow to safeguard remaining infrastructure.
The determination to deploy cellular counter-UAV items displays the rising problem Russia faces in defending in opposition to drones that may journey a whole lot of kilometers and strike with excessive precision. However, the strategy is broadly seen as a stopgap measure somewhat than a complete resolution.
Despite their fast deployment, consultants say such cellular items — sometimes called “last-resort detachments” — are unlikely to stop most drone strikes. The pickup-mounted weapons are able to participating targets at low altitudes, however they’ve little probability of intercepting drones flying greater than the efficient vary of small arms hearth.
In Ukraine, the place related cellular teams have been used extensively, their effectiveness is broadly considered low. Drone operators have tailored their flight paths to bypass these groups by flying at altitudes past the attain of their weapons, additional lowering their influence.
Ukrainian army planners more and more see drone-on-drone interception as a simpler countermeasure in opposition to UAV threats. Interceptor drones, able to pursuing and destroying enemy UAVs mid-flight, have proven superior efficiency in comparison with ground-based small arms hearth.
Kyiv has invested closely in creating and deploying such techniques, viewing them as important to countering the rising scale and class of Russian and Iranian-made platforms just like the Shahed and its home variants.
