Russia launched a record swarm of drones into Ukraine

About 80 suicide drones were shot down Ukrainian defensewhile another 90 reportedly disappeared from radar, possibly due to electronic interference.

The drones that found their targets hit civilian infrastructure, including the power grid in Ternopil, where 70% of residents have now lost access to electricity and water.

“The consequences are bad because the facility was severely damaged, which will affect the energy supply of the entire region for a long time,” said the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Nehoda.

The drone attack also hit several residential apartments.

Russia routinely attacks critical infrastructure and non-military assets, such as energy facilities and food storage facilities, to intensify the threat posed by Ukraine’s harsh winter. The bitter cold is dangerous enough, but the lack of electricity increases the risk of civilians freezing to death.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky published a message after the drone swarm, confirming that “our critical infrastructure has been damaged and the situation in Ternopil remains difficult.”

“All services and renovation teams are on site, doing everything they can to help people and restore electricity as soon as possible,” he assured the public.

“Suicide drones” are the weapon of choice for the Russian military. These are low-cost, highly mobile UAVs loaded with explosives that can be remotely piloted along complex paths before self-detonating. Decoy drones often fly alongside suicide drones to complicate interception efforts.

During the course of the war, Russia’s war production capacity was greatly depleted, and the production of suicide drones was partially outsourced to several allied countries.

Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un ordered his military factories to exponentially increase production of suicide drones, believing them to be a key asset in modern warfare. The Korean People’s Army has been sharing mercenaries and weapons, including drones, with Russia for months.

Thousands of suicide drones were also imported from Iran.

In Tuesday’s message, Zelensky pointed out that suicide drones still produced in Russian factories are often constructed from components purchased abroad, e.g. ChinaUnited States, Poland and Switzerland.

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“188 drones. Each contains 85 foreign-made components – a total of almost 16,000, without which they could not be released on the market,” Zelensky said. “These attacks are only possible because of Russia’s ability to circumvent sanctions through various schemes.”

He continued: “We thank everyone around the world who is blocking such shipments, but we need a greater concerted effort to enforce sanctions and force Russia to stop this war. We must put an end to Russian aggression. If you are against war, you really must be against Russia circumventing sanctions.”