Russian air defence struggling with detecting, destroying OWA-UAVs – UK intel

The relevant statement was made by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom on the social media platform X, referring to the latest Defence Intelligence update, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Overnight on the 29/30 August 2023, Russia experienced up to five separate strikes by one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA-UAVs) – the largest attack on Russia since the start of the conflict,” the report states.

Explosions were recorded in Moscow, Bryansk, and Ryazan, as well as at Pskov airbase close to the Estonian border. The attack on Pskov likely damaged several Russian military transport aircraft.

“During August 2023 Russia experienced 25 separate drone attacks, almost certainly carried out by OWA-UAVs. Many of these UAVs have reached their targets, which likely means that Russian air defence is having difficulty detecting and destroying them,” the UK Ministry of Defence noted.

According to the UK intelligence, Russia is likely rethinking its air defence posture in the area between Ukraine and Moscow to better deal with these attacks.

Previous strikes against Russian military airbases have led to the dispersal of Russian aircraft to locations across Russia.

“However, the recent strikes against Soltsy and Pskov have demonstrated that the UAVs have significant reach, making further dispersal more challenging,” the UK intelligence added.

It is likely that Russia will have to consider the addition of further air defence systems to airfields that it considers to be at risk from UAV attacks, the UK Ministry of Defence concluded.

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