From “Red Lines” to “Red Dots”. 2023 Has Seen about Two Hundred Drone Attacks on the Territory of Russia and Crimea

Despite the fact that Russian public figures have repeatedly stated that attacks on Russian territory or annexed Crimea are “red lines” followed by the toughest possible response, up to and including a nuclear strike. However, drone attacks and explosions have become as commonplace in the Russian Federation as Russian Shahed strikes in Ukraine. It is the conclusion stated by the BBC. According to the channel, drones have attacked Russia and Crimea more than 190 times this year. The most frequent attacks occurred in the Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk regions bordering Ukraine, as well as in annexed Crimea. BBC News noted, citing BBC Verify, which has been tracking reports of drone strikes in Russian media since the beginning of the year. Ukraine claims it is rapidly increasing drone production as demand for the frontline grows. As for their range, experts say drones launched from Ukrainian territory are indeed capable of reaching deep into Russia over significant distances. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, namely after the defeat in the battle for Kyiv and the withdrawal of some military corps from the territory of the neighboring country, Russian authorities have reported almost daily shelling of border regions or drone attacks. Previously, Ukrainian authorities have not taken responsibility for drone strikes on Russian territory, including regular attacks on targets in border regions and Moscow. One of the largest drone attacks on Russian Federation occurred this week. On the night of 30 August, UAVs carried out a massive attack on five regions in central Russia and the Pskov region. This resulted in a fire at an airfield in Pskov, where several Il-76 military transport aircraft were damaged. In other cases, Ukrainian UAVs were shot down by air defense forces, Russia claimed. Since Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal, it has been regularly shelling and using combined kamikaze drone attacks on Odessa region and other southern Russian regions. Iranian Shahed 136 drones are most often used.