Russia made drone, courtesy of Zala Aero Group.

Summary first: War does not take a holiday. The war is not going well for Ukraine. Drones can attack anywhere in Ukraine, and defending against night time attacks of massive swarms of Russian made drones (800 or more drones and decoys in a single attack) is next to impossible.

Details: Drones attacks are nothing new in the Ukraine war. Russia only deployed a few drones when they first attacked Ukraine. Russia thought in 2022 the invasion would be over quickly, with the seizure of Kiev. Now, the Kamikaze attack drones are being mass produced by Russia and others imported from Iran, in a new campaign to sow fear of survival into the Ukrainian populace.

The strikes against Ukraine reached a record of over 800 strikes in a single day in September. It is clear that after May, 2025, the massive record-breaking swarms of drones became the new strategy. The orange bars are missile attacks, and records were set March and April. Missiles have a large payload, and are the weapon of choice for destroying large targets such as military or infrastructure installations such as oil refineries.

The above image comes from the Al Jazeera website. See link: Drone and missile attacks. Above the image are the various “peace talks” which show as the US and Russia talked peace, Russia continued to intensify the war.

The graph really highlights a shift from mid-May until now. Russia is advancing on the ground and in the air. It is no longer dependent on Iran to supply “Shaheb” style drones. It has built its own plants, and it mass producing both high speed drones and decoys. See links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahed_drones

Russia continues to depend on North Korea, to send troops to Ukraine. See link:

The Second North Korean Wave in Ukraine: What Next as Pyongyang’s Troops Arrive on Russia’s Front Lines?

On July 6, 2025, there was a key meeting between Russian and North Korean leaders. A few days prior, North Korea pledge to send 25,000 to 30,000 troops to the front-lines of combat in Ukraine.

With drones and mercenary forces, Putin can escalate the war, cause more destruction to Ukraine, and avoid increasing casualties to the Russian forces. The Modern War Institute estimates nearly one million Russians have been injured, killed or captured, so far in the war.

I believe many Russians are growing weary of this war. It doesn’t seem to help.

Stay tuned,

Dave