Ukraine's stunning drone raid shows war's new strategy
For 18 months, Ukraine's internal security service planned an audacious assault on far-flung Russian airfields – first sneaking drones into Russia, then planting them near key military runways.
On Sunday (Monday AEST), just ahead of a new round of peace talks, it was go-time: Near four unsuspecting Russian military bases, remotely activated roofs lifted off mobile homes and sheds parked on flatbed trucks. Armed Ukrainian drones tucked inside soared upward, then pounced on military aircraft lined up on the runways, engulfing many in flames.
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The Advertiser
9 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Ukraine city under threat as Russian forces advance
Russian forces have widened the frontline in Ukraine's northern region of Sumy, officials and analysts say while Moscow says it has captured another village bringing the region's capital closer to within the range of frontline drones. Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Turkey for peace talks on Monday where Moscow said it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv cedes big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army. On Tuesday, Russia's defence ministry said its forces took control of Andriivka, after capturing several other villages in recent days. Kyiv said Russian artillery attack on the city of Sumy killed four people and injured 28. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on X called the Russians "sleazebags" for targeting "ordinary residential buildings". The head of the military administration of the Sumy region, which lies north of Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the region's defence strategy. "The situation in the border area of Sumy region remains complex, dynamic, but controllable," the head of the military administration, Oleh Hryhorov, said on Facebook. "The Russian army is constantly shelling border villages, hitting residential buildings, farms, and civilian infrastructure facilities." The dual advance with fierce frontline fighting and missile and drone strikes in Sumy hinders Ukraine's defence abilities along in the southeast Donbas region, of which Moscow is seeking full control, military analysts say. On Monday, Ivan Shevtsov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian brigades fighting in Sumy, told Ukrainian national broadcaster that Russian forces had captured about 15km along the frontline, going six-to-seven kilometres deep. If Russian advances take the town of Yunakivka, Shevtsov said, the city of Sumy will be under a direct threat. The Ukrainian Deep State blog of analysts who track the front line using open sources said Russian forces are moving to within 20-25 km of Sumy, putting the city within a range of shorter-range attack drones. Reuters could not independently verify the Russian claim of capturing Andriivka and Ukraine's General Staff made no references to the village in its evening battlefield report. DeepState said early on Wednesday that Andriivka was now in Russian hands. Over the weekend, Sumy's authorities ordered mandatory evacuation of 11 additional villages due to escalating Russian attacks. Shevtsov said Russia wants to completely capture the Sumy region, not just make a small incursion. "Just ... like other regions in eastern Ukraine," he added. Russian forces have widened the frontline in Ukraine's northern region of Sumy, officials and analysts say while Moscow says it has captured another village bringing the region's capital closer to within the range of frontline drones. Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Turkey for peace talks on Monday where Moscow said it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv cedes big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army. On Tuesday, Russia's defence ministry said its forces took control of Andriivka, after capturing several other villages in recent days. Kyiv said Russian artillery attack on the city of Sumy killed four people and injured 28. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on X called the Russians "sleazebags" for targeting "ordinary residential buildings". The head of the military administration of the Sumy region, which lies north of Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the region's defence strategy. "The situation in the border area of Sumy region remains complex, dynamic, but controllable," the head of the military administration, Oleh Hryhorov, said on Facebook. "The Russian army is constantly shelling border villages, hitting residential buildings, farms, and civilian infrastructure facilities." The dual advance with fierce frontline fighting and missile and drone strikes in Sumy hinders Ukraine's defence abilities along in the southeast Donbas region, of which Moscow is seeking full control, military analysts say. On Monday, Ivan Shevtsov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian brigades fighting in Sumy, told Ukrainian national broadcaster that Russian forces had captured about 15km along the frontline, going six-to-seven kilometres deep. If Russian advances take the town of Yunakivka, Shevtsov said, the city of Sumy will be under a direct threat. The Ukrainian Deep State blog of analysts who track the front line using open sources said Russian forces are moving to within 20-25 km of Sumy, putting the city within a range of shorter-range attack drones. Reuters could not independently verify the Russian claim of capturing Andriivka and Ukraine's General Staff made no references to the village in its evening battlefield report. DeepState said early on Wednesday that Andriivka was now in Russian hands. Over the weekend, Sumy's authorities ordered mandatory evacuation of 11 additional villages due to escalating Russian attacks. Shevtsov said Russia wants to completely capture the Sumy region, not just make a small incursion. "Just ... like other regions in eastern Ukraine," he added. Russian forces have widened the frontline in Ukraine's northern region of Sumy, officials and analysts say while Moscow says it has captured another village bringing the region's capital closer to within the range of frontline drones. Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Turkey for peace talks on Monday where Moscow said it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv cedes big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army. On Tuesday, Russia's defence ministry said its forces took control of Andriivka, after capturing several other villages in recent days. Kyiv said Russian artillery attack on the city of Sumy killed four people and injured 28. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on X called the Russians "sleazebags" for targeting "ordinary residential buildings". The head of the military administration of the Sumy region, which lies north of Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the region's defence strategy. "The situation in the border area of Sumy region remains complex, dynamic, but controllable," the head of the military administration, Oleh Hryhorov, said on Facebook. "The Russian army is constantly shelling border villages, hitting residential buildings, farms, and civilian infrastructure facilities." The dual advance with fierce frontline fighting and missile and drone strikes in Sumy hinders Ukraine's defence abilities along in the southeast Donbas region, of which Moscow is seeking full control, military analysts say. On Monday, Ivan Shevtsov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian brigades fighting in Sumy, told Ukrainian national broadcaster that Russian forces had captured about 15km along the frontline, going six-to-seven kilometres deep. If Russian advances take the town of Yunakivka, Shevtsov said, the city of Sumy will be under a direct threat. The Ukrainian Deep State blog of analysts who track the front line using open sources said Russian forces are moving to within 20-25 km of Sumy, putting the city within a range of shorter-range attack drones. Reuters could not independently verify the Russian claim of capturing Andriivka and Ukraine's General Staff made no references to the village in its evening battlefield report. DeepState said early on Wednesday that Andriivka was now in Russian hands. Over the weekend, Sumy's authorities ordered mandatory evacuation of 11 additional villages due to escalating Russian attacks. Shevtsov said Russia wants to completely capture the Sumy region, not just make a small incursion. "Just ... like other regions in eastern Ukraine," he added. Russian forces have widened the frontline in Ukraine's northern region of Sumy, officials and analysts say while Moscow says it has captured another village bringing the region's capital closer to within the range of frontline drones. Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Turkey for peace talks on Monday where Moscow said it would only agree to end the war if Kyiv cedes big new chunks of territory and accepts limits on the size of its army. On Tuesday, Russia's defence ministry said its forces took control of Andriivka, after capturing several other villages in recent days. Kyiv said Russian artillery attack on the city of Sumy killed four people and injured 28. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on X called the Russians "sleazebags" for targeting "ordinary residential buildings". The head of the military administration of the Sumy region, which lies north of Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the region's defence strategy. "The situation in the border area of Sumy region remains complex, dynamic, but controllable," the head of the military administration, Oleh Hryhorov, said on Facebook. "The Russian army is constantly shelling border villages, hitting residential buildings, farms, and civilian infrastructure facilities." The dual advance with fierce frontline fighting and missile and drone strikes in Sumy hinders Ukraine's defence abilities along in the southeast Donbas region, of which Moscow is seeking full control, military analysts say. On Monday, Ivan Shevtsov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian brigades fighting in Sumy, told Ukrainian national broadcaster that Russian forces had captured about 15km along the frontline, going six-to-seven kilometres deep. If Russian advances take the town of Yunakivka, Shevtsov said, the city of Sumy will be under a direct threat. The Ukrainian Deep State blog of analysts who track the front line using open sources said Russian forces are moving to within 20-25 km of Sumy, putting the city within a range of shorter-range attack drones. Reuters could not independently verify the Russian claim of capturing Andriivka and Ukraine's General Staff made no references to the village in its evening battlefield report. DeepState said early on Wednesday that Andriivka was now in Russian hands. Over the weekend, Sumy's authorities ordered mandatory evacuation of 11 additional villages due to escalating Russian attacks. Shevtsov said Russia wants to completely capture the Sumy region, not just make a small incursion. "Just ... like other regions in eastern Ukraine," he added.
The Age
9 hours ago
- The Age
Ukrainian drone strikes show up Australia's out-of-date defences
Over the weekend, Ukraine provided a demonstration of something that has been largely misinterpreted by the many 'pop-up' war experts that have emerged here and elsewhere in the past three years. What the audacious Ukrainian strikes showed was not a new way of war nor new drone capabilities. Both have been on display for more than three years – for those who have noticed. What the Ukrainians actually provided on the weekend was a lesson that has two sides: On one side, they showed what can be done when politicians and military leaders take risk and free up their people to exercise creativity. The other side of the lesson is that Ukraine showed what happens to those who do not pay sufficient attention to the lessons of war, and whose learning and adaptation culture and systems are inadequate. Unfortunately, the Australian defence department and its part-time minister have shown no indication they have learned the first lesson but have demonstrated a full measure of the second. Australia's defence force is slowly but surely being degraded in size and capacity by being denied funding, due to a focus on submarines that will arrive too late to deter China's rapid military build-up and aggression. The 2 per cent of GDP being spent on defence has been recognised by every credible defence expert in this country as insufficient for normal defence needs, let along running a defence force and paying down the nuclear submarines as well as paying the exorbitant salaries of the hundreds of AUKUS bureaucrats who are travelling the world, writing briefs and producing nothing. The Ukrainian drone strikes on the weekend are another 'foot-stomp' moment for Australia. They demonstrated that taking risks and being innovative can result in the development of a long-range strike capability that does not just have to build on the small number of exquisite and expensive systems Australia is procuring. And unlike these big expensive systems, which once lost are gone forever, drones can be produced in mass quantities by Australian industry in case we are involved in a sustained war. Loading The expensive and exquisitely 'focused' defence force we are building is designed for 20th century war. It will also take decades to deliver because of the zero-risk procurement policy of the defence department. We need to shift to a balanced force that balances crewed and uncrewed systems, expensive and cheap systems – designed for 21st century war. And we need to speed up and delegate down authorities to procure more relevant equipment that can be upgraded regularly. Drones are not just an aerial asset – land and maritime drones have proven their utility in Ukraine and this has been ignored in Canberra. And with the latest developments, which include uncrewed naval vessels that carry strike drones and uncrewed aerial vehicles that carry smaller attack drones, Australia has an opportunity to learn from Ukraine and develop new kinds of high-tech deterrents to Chinese aggression. The second lesson of the weekend is that those who are slow to learn and adapt pay the consequences. The Russians, who have had their airbases attacked regularly in the past two years, have been slow to upgrade their defences and paid the price on the weekend. Australian military bases and critical infrastructure are totally defenceless against these kinds of drone attacks. That has been clear from three years of war in Ukraine ,and yet, this government has done nothing to protect Australian soldiers from such threats. Not only have budgets for drone defences not materialised, but an extraordinarily dense air safety bureaucracy has also prevented units from using drones and experimenting with new ideas like the Ukrainian military has throughout the war. Few soldiers see drones on training exercises these days.
Sydney Morning Herald
10 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Ukrainian drone strikes show up Australia's out-of-date defences
Over the weekend, Ukraine provided a demonstration of something that has been largely misinterpreted by the many 'pop-up' war experts that have emerged here and elsewhere in the past three years. What the audacious Ukrainian strikes showed was not a new way of war nor new drone capabilities. Both have been on display for more than three years – for those who have noticed. What the Ukrainians actually provided on the weekend was a lesson that has two sides: On one side, they showed what can be done when politicians and military leaders take risk and free up their people to exercise creativity. The other side of the lesson is that Ukraine showed what happens to those who do not pay sufficient attention to the lessons of war, and whose learning and adaptation culture and systems are inadequate. Unfortunately, the Australian defence department and its part-time minister have shown no indication they have learned the first lesson but have demonstrated a full measure of the second. Australia's defence force is slowly but surely being degraded in size and capacity by being denied funding, due to a focus on submarines that will arrive too late to deter China's rapid military build-up and aggression. The 2 per cent of GDP being spent on defence has been recognised by every credible defence expert in this country as insufficient for normal defence needs, let along running a defence force and paying down the nuclear submarines as well as paying the exorbitant salaries of the hundreds of AUKUS bureaucrats who are travelling the world, writing briefs and producing nothing. The Ukrainian drone strikes on the weekend are another 'foot-stomp' moment for Australia. They demonstrated that taking risks and being innovative can result in the development of a long-range strike capability that does not just have to build on the small number of exquisite and expensive systems Australia is procuring. And unlike these big expensive systems, which once lost are gone forever, drones can be produced in mass quantities by Australian industry in case we are involved in a sustained war. Loading The expensive and exquisitely 'focused' defence force we are building is designed for 20th century war. It will also take decades to deliver because of the zero-risk procurement policy of the defence department. We need to shift to a balanced force that balances crewed and uncrewed systems, expensive and cheap systems – designed for 21st century war. And we need to speed up and delegate down authorities to procure more relevant equipment that can be upgraded regularly. Drones are not just an aerial asset – land and maritime drones have proven their utility in Ukraine and this has been ignored in Canberra. And with the latest developments, which include uncrewed naval vessels that carry strike drones and uncrewed aerial vehicles that carry smaller attack drones, Australia has an opportunity to learn from Ukraine and develop new kinds of high-tech deterrents to Chinese aggression. The second lesson of the weekend is that those who are slow to learn and adapt pay the consequences. The Russians, who have had their airbases attacked regularly in the past two years, have been slow to upgrade their defences and paid the price on the weekend. Australian military bases and critical infrastructure are totally defenceless against these kinds of drone attacks. That has been clear from three years of war in Ukraine ,and yet, this government has done nothing to protect Australian soldiers from such threats. Not only have budgets for drone defences not materialised, but an extraordinarily dense air safety bureaucracy has also prevented units from using drones and experimenting with new ideas like the Ukrainian military has throughout the war. Few soldiers see drones on training exercises these days.
