Today's nighttime attack of Shahed-136 explosive suicide drones on Ukraine indicates a shift in russian tactics of using this weapon, as they attempted to hit a different kind of target this time. The report, issued post-factum by the Ukrainian Air Force Command, says russians launched 35 drones in total, 15 of them were shot down by air defenses.
Besides the statistics, the Command noted that "the enemy directed some of the attack UAVs toward the frontline-adjacent territories trying to hit the infrastructure of the fuel and power supply sector, civilian and military objects near the frontline and the state border with the russian federation."
Read more: russia Modified the Shahed-136 Drone Warhead for the Third Time, Incorporating Both Shaped Charge and Incendiary Effect (Photos)
The message indicates a deviation from the pattern of attacks, previously mostly targeting critical civilian and military infrastructure deep behind the line of contact. A shift that can be explained by the increasing effectiveness of mobile fire groups of air defense — a highly mobile unit (typically 3–5 personnel) scattered across the country with designated areas of responsibility, armed with MANPADS and machine guns. Although we should note that apart from mobile groups, the Air Force engaged aviation and stationary air defense missile systems to repel the attack.
As for the strikes on fuel and power supply facilities, the new tactic could be correlated with the introduction of a new warhead, recently found among the wreckage of Shahed-type drones downed by air defenses. As Defense Express reported yesterday, on January 29th an earlier unrecorded type of warhead was discovered, the third known to date.
Unlike the previous two warheads known as BSF and MSNI, the latest explosive device is the BST-52 index and has both a cavity for creating a shaped charge and thermobaric elements. From the description it seems to be designed to be effective against warehouses with fuel and oils.
Another nuance to note is that Shaheds with BST-52 pose a significant threat to residential areas. According to the report by Ukraine's National Police, one of the drones launched overnight hit a residential building, causing a fire.
Read more: Black Shahed-136: russian Painted the Suicide Drones for a Nighttime Attack on Kyiv
