Overnight December 12-13, 2024, russia conducted a large-scale multi-axis attack into Ukraine. As with the attacks that occurred in November and prior, it involved russian long range aviation assets and russian fixed wing tactical aviation assets launching multiple types of air launched cruise-missile and air launched ballistic missile systems, according to the UK Defense Intelligence.
The air assets were supported by the Kalibr cruise missiles launched by the Black Sea Fleet assets, and one-way attack unmanned aerial systems (OWA UAS) were used from multiple launch sites. In total approximately 90 missiles were used in conjunction with at least 180 OWA UAS.
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Since August 2024, it is highly likely russia has chosen to take time to build stocks between strikes and then launch in larger, less frequent strike waves, rather than the more frequent smaller attacks conducted earlier in the year. The composition and target set of the December 12-13 attack was similar to previous attacks, focusing on Ukrainian critical national infrastructure and industry, whilst also attempting to suppress Ukrainian air defense and airfields by saturating them with OWA UAS. However, russia retains the ability and the stocks to allow such assets to be employed in smaller numbers, as a punitive measure, with little or no warning.
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