Russian Drones: Unprecedented Surge in August Attacks

Russian Drones: Unprecedented Surge in Attacks in August

KYIV - The third week of August marks an unprecedented intensification of air attacks on the rear areas of Ukraine. An analysis of the data shows a sharp increase in the use of kamikaze and decoy drones such as Shahed-136/„Gerbera“/„Parody“, as well as a significant increase in the use of FPV drones in the combat zone. This escalation of attacks is taking place at a time when Russian forces are trying to compensate for the lack of significant progress on the battlefield, targeting civilian and infrastructure targets.

Unprecedented Record in FPV Drone Usage

The use of FPV drones by Russian occupying forces (ROF) in the third week of August reached an absolute weekly record, exceeding 8,500 units. This represents a significant increase compared to the first week (5,000) and the second week (6,500) of the same month. This sudden surge after an initial drop, which was likely caused by logistics and supply issues, clearly shows that the Russian forces have managed to overcome these temporary difficulties.

The cumulative use of FPV drones by the ROF in August has already exceeded 20,000, which suggests that another record in this category will be set by the end of the month. For comparison, an absolute monthly record was registered in July with over 23,500 drones used, while the second week of July saw a then-weekly maximum of over 7,000 drones.

Systematic Attacks with Other Types of Drones

Parallel to the rise in the use of FPV drones, Russian forces continue to rely on more standard, but no less deadly, weapons. In the third week of August, 1,375 Shahed-136/„Gerbera“/„Parody“ kamikaze/decoy drones were used, which is almost four times more compared to the second week (360) and twice as many as the first week (674). The total number of these drones for the first three weeks of August reached 2,409.

The use of „Lancet“ loitering munitions remains relatively stable, without serious changes. Just over 70 units were used during the week, and a total of around 230 for the first three weeks of August.

A remarkable increase is also observed in the use of „Molniya-2“ kamikaze drones, with over 350 units used in the second week of August, and over 550 for the three weeks of the month. One of the days during this week even set a 24-hour record for „Molniya-2“ with 74 units, which underscores the intensification of the air terror.

At the same time, the use of „Privet-82“ attack drones remains insignificant, with single units used in the third week of August and no more than 70 in the first half of the month.

Connection to Geopolitical Events

The escalation of drone terror against the rear part of Ukraine began, as expected, after August 15, right after the "very good" meeting that took place in Alaska. This synchronization suggests that Russia is using air strikes as a means of exerting pressure or as a retaliatory measure following diplomatic events, which once again shows a complete disregard for international law and the targeting of the civilian population.

Despite the significant quantitative increase in the means of destruction used, it has not led to serious successes for the Russian occupying forces on the battlefield. This raises questions about the effectiveness of Russian strategy and emphasizes that the growing use of drones is more of an attempt to compensate for the lack of a tactical breakthrough than to achieve real military goals.

Author: Alexander Kovalenko