Dozens of drone attacks have been carried out in various parts of Russia at the end of August.
Houses have been destroyed and several people have died in the attacks.
On Friday, Russia announced that it had shot down at least 73 Ukrainian drones during the day, Reuters news agency reported.
On Wednesday, a total of three airplanes attacked Moscow. One of the drones damaged a tower block in the city center. In the Belgorod region of Russia, a drone strike killed three people on Wednesday morning.
Russia says it has repelled most of the drone attacks.
Read below what is currently known about the attacks.
Such drone attacks were carried out on Russia from August 16 to August 23
Where have drone strikes been carried out recently?
Dozens of drone attacks have been carried out on Russia over the course of nine days. Most of the attacks have been carried out in the border regions of Ukraine, such as the Belgorod region and the occupied Crimean peninsula.
At least eight attacks were carried out in the Moscow region during the week. The center of Moscow was attacked by drones at least twice during the week.
– The attacks mainly have a psychological effect, says the expert Kalle Saastamoinen From the Department of Military Technology of the National Defense University to via email.
According to Saastomainen, drones have recently also successfully struck a few military targets. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not confirmed that attacks were carried out on strategically important targets of the armed forces.
During the past week, several attacks have been carried out, for example, near agencies. For example, last Friday, a drone hit a business center in Moscow in a part that is located near the Russian government building.
What is known about the perpetrators of the attacks?
Russia blames “Ukrainian terrorists” for the attacks.
The Ukrainian administration has not commented on the attacks, and the Ukrainian armed forces have not claimed responsibility for the recent attacks.
Saastomainen considers it possible that the attacks on Moscow were carried out from the Ukrainian side.
– The range of a drone equipped with a combustion engine is several hundreds of kilometers. Technically, it would be possible to launch a drone from the Ukrainian border so that it could reach Moscow.
It is about 500 kilometers from the northern border of Ukraine to Moscow. According to the expert, that would require a rather heavy drone.
– [Britannian yleisradioyhtiön] The experts interviewed by the BBC are of the opinion that the drones used by Ukraine are capable of flying the required 450 kilometers.
Therefore, also with regard to the attacks in the border regions of Ukraine, it would seem possible and even probable that the drones were launched from the territory of Ukraine, the expert thinks.
Could the attacks have been carried out from within Russia?
Both Saastamoinen and an expert following the war in Ukraine John Helin consider it possible that some of Russia’s recent drone strikes were carried out from within Russia.
Recently, there have been reports of new types of drone attacks, in which grenades have been dropped “from the sky” on Russian positions.
According to Helin, such attacks have not been carried out on Russia before.
For example, last Saturday, a grenade carried by an airplane damaged a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber at the Soltsy air base in the Novgorod region. The target of the attack was located 650 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Saastamoinen states that the attack was probably carried out with a small-sized drone, the range of which would not be sufficient to carry out the attack all the way from Ukraine.
– In practice, this would be a special forces operation where a small group gets behind the opponent’s front to carry out sabotage, says Saastamoinen.
According to Helin, behind the attacks is probably a Ukrainian special group that crossed the front line and not a sabotage group that has developed inside Russia.
What is known about drones?
Russia attacks Ukraine with, among other things, Iranian-made Shahed-136 aircraft. On the other hand, little is known about the drones that attacked Russia.
The Russian Defense Forces does not say what kind of drones its air defense has repelled. It is known that Russia has been attacked this year with both traditional drones and maritime drones.
Regarding the Russian attacks, there is also photographic evidence that Russia has been attacked with Ukrainian-made “beaver” or Bober drones, says John Helin in a phone interview to .
– In the video material published in connection with the Moscow attacks, drones can be seen that match Ukrainian-made drones. To those used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and intelligence.
On Tuesday, Russia said it had intercepted Ukrainian reconnaissance aircraft, the American-made MQ-9 Reaper and the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, from the Crimean peninsula.
According to Helin, Ukraine has reportedly not attacked Russia with drones given by the West as weapons aid.
How can a drone fly hundreds of kilometers unnoticed?
Military technology expert Saastamoinen explains that drones can travel long distances without being noticed.
– A drone is a very small object in the sky and therefore difficult to detect.
Waypoints can be pre-programmed into the drone, following which it will find its target.
– A drone that does not send signals or data weakens its visibility in radar and other systems, says Saastamoinen from MPKK.
In addition, Ukraine is able to evade Russian anti-aircraft systems by utilizing intelligence.
It has been reported that the West is giving Ukraine valuable intelligence.
How does Russia combat drones?
The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced that it has repelled almost all of last week’s drone attacks.
The damage has mainly been caused by the explosions that followed the destruction of the drones, or “pops”, as Russia expresses it.
Russia combats drones by shooting them down with air defense systems or by blocking them with “jammers”, i.e. equipment intended for electronic warfare, which seizes control of the drone by disrupting its communication signals.
The parties responsible for Moscow’s air defense claim to have used a jammer on, among other things, a drone that hit a building.
According to MPKK’s Saastamoinen, it seems that the attacks in Moscow were carried out by drones, which are programmed to fly to the target even under interference, even if the accuracy of such attacks drops significantly.
26.8. at 8:59 Clarified that the Crimean peninsula is an area occupied by Russia.
You can discuss the topic on 27.8. until 23:00.