Russia is losing the drone war. Here’s why that matters.

Paul J. Warburg 11 min

Ukrainian drone strikes weaken Russia's nuclear credibility and threaten its defense production. We should probably all be paying a lot more attention to Ukrainian drone strikes.

  • Vladimir Putin

Chapters

  1. 0:00

    Moscow Drone Strikes

    Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow reveal Russian defense gaps and threaten critical infrastructure.

  2. 0:19

    Defense Production Targets

    Strikes on Russian defense facilities cause worker casualties and hinder weapon production.

  3. 5:37

    Putin's Nuclear Deterrence

    Successful drone penetrations weaken the credibility of Russia's nuclear threats.

  4. 8:22

    Ukraine's Endless Drone Supply

    Ukraine can sustain strikes indefinitely while running low on front-line soldiers.

Key points

  • 0:19

    Ukrainian drone strikes are becoming a very big problem for Russia.

  • 0:19

    Strikes reveal Ukraine has a technological advantage over Russia.

  • 0:19

    Ukraine can pierce Russian air defenses to strike targets near the Kremlin.

  • 0:19

    Strikes on defense production facilities scare away Russian workers.

  • 3:05

    Defense strikes bring the war home to Russians in a real way.

  • 3:05

    Putin complains most about long-range strikes into Russia.

  • 5:37

    Russia's large size creates many areas with weak air defenses.

  • 5:37

    Ukraine conducts strikes with 150 or more drones at a time.

  • 5:37

    Successful penetrations weaken the credibility of Russia's nuclear threats.

  • 5:37

    Russia will not use nukes if its defenses cannot protect its people.

Who and where

People · 1

  • Drawing of Vladimir Putin

    Vladimir Putin 13

    President of the Russian Federation

    Photo 1

1. Photo: Пресс-служба Президента России, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Wikidata · redrawn in our house style (Vladimir Putin)

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