According to the expert, Russia’s military superiority has decreased. At the same time, Ukraine’s ability to carry out drone attacks has increased.
Ukraine is trying to expand the war on Russia’s side with drone strikes, says a docent of military sciences and a university lecturer at the Swedish National Defense University Ilmari Käihkö In an interview with .
Käihkö emphasizes that not everything is known about the airplane attacks on Moscow yet. However, it seems obvious that Ukraine is behind the attacks.
– Ukraine is now trying to show that the war also hurts the Russians and shows that the people in power in Russia are not able to protect their own citizens, Käihkö says.
Until now, there has been a great imbalance in the war, because the war has been fought inside Ukraine. The costs, suffering and destruction of the war have been directed at the Ukrainians. Ukraine is now trying to change this situation, Käihkö reflects.
The attacks on Moscow also have a military significance. Ukraine has launched a ground attack on Russian soil in the Belgorod region and probably also an aerial attack on the Kremlin. This is how Ukraine breaks up Russia’s forces.
– Russia is forced to move its troops to the border for ground attacks and its anti-aircraft equipment to different areas.
“Failure from the Russian leadership”
According to Käihkö, the drone strikes are a big failure for the Russian leadership. According to their own speeches, Russia is conducting a special military operation in Ukraine, but at the same time Moscow has to protect itself from drones.
– Such attacks underline the inability of Russia’s political and military leadership, which [Wagner-palkkasotilasyhtiön johtaja Jevgeni] Prigozhin too has been missing, Käihkö states.
Käihkö doesn’t believe that it was staged by Russia, i.e. a false flag attack. Russian staging has also been suspected in connection with the Kremlin attack and the Belgorod attack.
If it was a Russian plot, it should have some consequences for the course of the war. So Russia would use its staging as a basis for an operation, like the Soviet Union used the Mainila shots as a basis for starting the winter war. However, there have been no sanctions.
– Yes, this shows Russia’s weakness, and not the strength and power that those in power would probably like to show.
Ukraine’s ability to carry out drone attacks has increased
If the drones were indeed sent from the territory of Ukraine, as it seems, it is a sign of Ukraine’s increased ability to carry out long-distance attacks with drones.
Käihkö reminds that Ukraine’s foreign supporters have insisted that the military equipment they provide may not be used on Russian territory.
Ukraine is known to have its own aircraft industry. It is therefore possible that the drones sent to Moscow were of the country’s own production.
According to Käihkö, Ukraine’s drone racing has clearly developed. This can be seen in the fact that Ukraine is now carrying out attacks that it was not capable of before. Russia’s military superiority has narrowed.
– Ukraine has clearly become more aggressive, Käihkö states.
Ukraine also suggests that more attacks are coming. Advisor to the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podolyak has denied that Ukraine had a “direct connection” to the attacks. In the same interview, however, he sarcastically stated that Ukrainians are watching the events in Moscow with satisfaction and predicted that new attacks may be coming.