What Ukraine's air defenders and first responders are seeing in Russia's deadly double-tap strikes
This style of attack, seen in Syria, involves striking the same target twice to maximize damage.
A Ukrainian air defender and a first responder described what this deadly tactic has been like.
Russian forces have been using attack drones and missiles to execute double-tap strikes, a Ukrainian air defender and a first responder told Business Insider, sharing their observations of the brutal tactic.
The tactic involves striking a target location, waiting for emergency services and other civilians to arrive at the site, and then hitting the same exact spot again in a follow-up attack. United Nations officials have described the strategy in Ukraine as "ruthless."
Oleksiy, the deputy commander of a mobile air defense unit with Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces, said that Russia has increasingly paired drone attacks with cruise missiles, using the two weapons simultaneously "to intimidate the population."
He said Russia first launches drones, which sometimes strike civilian infrastructure or housing. When rescuers, medics, and volunteers arrive on the scene to provide assistance, "a missile arrives that leaves no chance."
A first responder in Ukraine's State Emergency Services, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, described a Russian attack in June that saw a drone hit a recreation complex near Kyiv, and after rescue crews arrived on the scene, a second drone struck the facility.
The first responder shared video footage with BI showing emergency workers at the facility in Bila Tserkva, which was engulfed in fire and smoke. They said that they have not encountered a double-tap strike using missiles, just drones, but the practice is not unheard of.
On Friday, the State Emergency Service issued a statement about double-tap strikes targeting rescue workers in the northeastern city of Kharkiv and in the southern city of Kherson.
The first responder BI spoke with also mentioned another Russian double-tap strike several weeks earlier near Kyiv. Surveillance footage shared with BI captures what appears to be the scream of a drone as it flew toward its target, followed by the sound of an explosion and a burst of light.
It's unclear how often this tactic is employed, and Business Insider could not independently verify all the details of the two Ukrainian accounts.
Russia's defense ministry did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment. The Russian embassy in the US referred BI to a press briefing held on Wednesday by Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry spokesperson.
The Russian armed forces have been accused of carrying out double-tap strikes against Ukrainian cities since the early days of the full-scale invasion over three years ago. Last year, for instance, an attack on the port city of Odesa killed and wounded dozens of civilians and emergency workers.
Russia was accused of executing similar deadly attacks in Syria after intervening on behalf of the Assad government in the country's brutal civil war. Moscow's playbook in Ukraine has often resembled its Middle East campaign, with brutal, scorched-earth tactics.
Conflict analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said on Monday the Russian military is "very likely intentionally targeting Ukrainian civilians, including with double tap' strikes likely meant to kill first responders."
The Ukrainian observations of the double-tap strikes come as Russia's air attacks have gotten worse. In recent weeks, it has become more and more common for Kyiv to face daily bombardments that consist of hundreds of drones and missiles. Last week, Moscow launched some 550 munitions in a single night.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is halting shipments of critical weapons — reported to include air defense ammunition and other essential weapons — to Ukraine amid concerns over US stockpiles. The decision to withhold US support could severely undermine Kyiv's ability to protect its cities and front-line forces from Russia's worsening attacks.
In a statement last week, Ukraine's foreign ministry said any delay in support for its defensive capabilities would only encourage Russia to continue its war. And analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, warned that the suspension of US aid will only accelerate Moscow's battlefield gains, as has been the case previously.
After a phone call with President Donald Trump on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two leaders "spoke about opportunities in air defense and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies."
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