Russia continues to regularly carry out massive strikes against Ukraine using drones and missiles. According to Le Monde, Ukrainian and US intelligence sometimes learn the dates of these strikes a week in advance.
It is noted that planning and executing massive Russian strikes requires complex logistics. Ukrainian and American intelligence are closely monitoring this.
The publication emphasizes that during massive strikes, Russia deploys hundreds of drone operators, strategic aviation, the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla, missile and artillery units of the ground forces, and strategic missile troops when launching medium-range ballistic missiles, such as the “Oreshnik“.
Yuri Ignat, head of the communications department of the Ukrainian Air Force, told reporters that the Russians have deployed tens of thousands of Russian soldiers for the massive strikes last weekend. According to him, the first signs of an attack often come from strategic aviation.
“They (the Russians) must prepare strike assets before the start of the battle: deliver cruise missiles, arm aircraft and transfer them from permanent bases to five or six active runways. "These operations, of course, take hours, if not days," Ignat said.
A Ukrainian air defense specialist named Ruslan told reporters that Ukraine knew about the massive attack on May 14 and its likely scale six days in advance.
"The picture became clearer as the date approached, with the deployment of ships, submarines and aircraft. Three hours before, we had a clear idea of the number and types of shells," Ruslan stressed.
The publication adds that Russian industrial efforts have significantly intensified to suppress Ukrainian air defenses. For example, the "Dalra" factories in Elabuga and Izhevsk produce approximately 130 drones per day, as well as the same number of decoy drones. Given the daily launches of 150 to 200 drones, it would take at least a week to accumulate the 500 drones needed for a massive strike.
According to the publication, Russian factories produce an average of one 3M14 “Kalibur” missile, two to three Kh-101 missiles, and two to three 9M723 “Iskander” ballistic missiles per day.
During the latest massive attack, Russia may have fired two “Oreshnik” missiles.
Earlier, the Telegram channel “eRadar” reported that during the massive attack on Ukraine on the night of May 24, the Russians likely fired two “Oreshnik” medium-range ballistic missiles. The first missile may have hit temporarily Russian-controlled territory near Avdiivka or Yasinova in Donetsk Oblast.
According to OSINT analysts, it is possible that the Russians accidentally attacked their own troops.