The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the wave of Russian drone attacks has three main goals: to deplete Russian air defense systems, to disable Russian military transport and bombers, and to damage military production facilities.
Source. He said this in an interview with The Economist.
In addition, drone strikes have psychological goals.
"To sow unrest among the population and disrupt economic processes in Russia. The closure of major airports in St. Petersburg and Moscow, for example, has become an almost daily occurrence," he said.
The strikes on Russian territory do not make Ukraine an aggressor, Budanov emphasized, because Kyiv does not violate the rules of war.
"No one believes that the United Kingdom or the United States were aggressors in World War II, although they bombed German territory," he added.
Regarding the pace of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Budanov said that it is Russia, not Ukraine, that should be worried.
"The first defensive line on the most important southern axis in Zaporizhzhia has already been partially breached, which means that an operation to break the land routes between Russia and Crimea can be carried out before winter," Budanov explained.
He claims that Russia has already deployed additional reserves that it did not plan to deploy until the end of October.
"Contrary to what the Russian Federation declares, it has absolutely no strategic reserves," the head of Ukrainian intelligence emphasized.
According to him, the 25th Russian Combined Arms Army, deployed on the eastern front around Lyman and Kupyansk, has only 80% of the personnel and 55% of the equipment required.
Russia has virtually unlimited human resources in terms of quantity, but their quality is low, he noted.
Budanov also said that Ukraine is preparing a response to possible new Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure in the winter.
"Let them start. They will also get a response," he said.
Background. As a reminder, Budanov said that the Russian economy will last only until 2025, and in 2026 the flow of weapons to Russia will dry up.