Ukrainian Air Force on How Russia Strikes and How Ukraine Defends
A Profound Assessment on Russia's Air Campaign and Ukrainian Counter Measures
Russia has been systematically targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the beginning of autumn, employing a revised strike pattern and an increasingly diverse set of weapons. In a detailed assessment, Colonel Yurii Ihnat, Head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, provides profound insights into Russia’s evolving attack tactics, the modernization of Shahed drones, and the key challenges and achievements of Ukraine’s air defense in countering this sustained aerial campaign.
CONTENT
Russian Attacks on Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure
Shift in Aerial Attacks
Lack of Interceptors
Oreshnik and Zircon Missiles
Ukrainian Interceptor Drones
Quick Q&A
Russian Attacks on Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure
The enemy’s intentions have not changed, we see this both in their statements and in what they publish publicly. During the autumn and winter period, once again, as has happened repeatedly throughout the war, they aim to leave Ukraine without heat and electricity. The aggressor claims that in doing so military facilities and Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex are allegedly being targeted, but in reality it is ordinary civilians who suffer, especially those who cannot afford expensive generators, batteries, home power stations, and similar equipment. Children, pensioners, and low-income people are among the most affected.
The enemy strikes the energy sector with missiles of various types. In 2025, the proportion of ballistic missiles used increased significantly compared to cruise missiles. This is because ballistic missiles can be intercepted only by the Patriot system.
Recently, there was an attack in which the enemy used 18 ballistic missiles. There was also some confusion in the information space regarding the geography of the January 13 strike, whether it targeted only Kyiv or the entire country. In fact, it was nationwide. Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions were all attacked. At times, however, all ballistic missiles in a single strike are directed solely at the capital, targeting critical infrastructure facilities.
When Kyiv and the Kyiv region are attacked, we often see dozens of missiles of various types and up to five hundred drones. It is easy to imagine how difficult it is to protect even a well-defended city against such a scale of enemy air attack. As a result, some targets inevitably get through. Even if 80 percent of the threats are intercepted, the remaining 20 percent cause significant damage. This may include strikes on thermal power plants, other critical infrastructure facilities, industrial sites, and similar targets. When the enemy conducts systematic attacks, even these relatively small percentages of successful hits accumulate, leading to growing levels of damage and destruction.
Throughout the autumn and winter period this year, as in previous years, the enemy has methodically struck, and continues to strike, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The objective is to plunge the country into a total blackout. Unfortunately, this strategy is partially succeeding, as people are now living with constant power outages. The enemy’s intentions are therefore clear, first and foremost to exert pressure on the Ukrainian population by creating conditions that are unfit for normal life, especially during the winter.
Photo: Yuri Ihnat
