Russian forces conduct diverse attacks to find gaps in Ukraine's air defense – ISW
The latest ISW report says Russian forces may be diversifying the mix of missiles, guided bombs, and drones used in strikes on Ukrainian rear areas, likely in an attempt to find gaps in Ukrainian air defenses ahead of further strikes over the winter.
The Ukrainian South forces group reported that Russian forces launched unknown air-to-surface missiles at Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Odesa regions, as well as Kh-59 missiles at Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions on the night of October 21.
Three of the unknown missiles detonated mid-air, a Kh-59 struck a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, and the Iskanders and Shaheds hit industrial facilities in Kryvyi Rih.
Ukraine's South Command reported that Russian tactical aviation simultaneously launched 30 modified guided aerial bombs at the frontline area of the Kherson region, which is a new combination for the attack for the Air Force.
The spox for the South forces group Nataliia Humeniuk cites the October 8 warning by the Air Force that Russian forces are stepping up their drone strike campaign ahead of winter.
Key takeaways from the ISW report
- In the past several days, Ukrainian forces have likely repelled another intensified Russian offensive effort towards Avdiivka and inflicted further heavy personnel and equipment losses on Russian troops in the area.
- Russian forces are struggling to interdict Ukrainian efforts to supply and reinforce newly captured positions on the Kherson region's east (left) bank.
- Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations near Bakhmut and in the western Zaporizhia region on October 21.
- Russian forces may be diversifying the mix of missiles, guided bombs, and drones used in strikes on Ukrainian rear areas, likely in an attempt to find gaps in Ukrainian air defenses ahead of further strikes over the winter.
- Russian troops continued their offensive along the eastern Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, near Avdiivka, southwest of Donetsk, in the border area of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions and the west of Zaporizhzhia region, and advanced in various parts of the frontline.
