Australian Army Major General (Retired) Mick Ryan explores the implications of Ukraine’s drone attacks on airbases deep in Russian territory. Ukraine has demonstrated the capability to strike military targets hundreds of miles inside Russian territory, while simultaneously revealing gaps in Russian air defense and showing the Russians that they are not safe from retaliation.
The strikes against the Russian air bases is Ukraine’s way of saying that the Russians don’t have the asymmetric advantage with their long range missiles that they think they have.
Ryan argues that the drone strikes are a psychological blow to Russia and that Ukraine continues to learn and adapt as the war drags on. He concludes that the strikes may force a reorientation of the Russian military effort to defend much deeper inside its own territory.