A recent analysis has identified a broad “red zone” in Ukraine where Shahed drones could potentially conduct attacks under online control. This area encompasses nearly all of the Chernihiv and Sumy regions, northern parts of Kyiv and Zhytomyr, as well as sections of Poltava, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk. Southern districts of Mykolaiv and Odesa, the left bank of the Kherson region, and occupied Crimea are also included.
According to experts, these drones pose a significant threat despite their current operational limitations regarding control range, which are influenced by technological factors. The identified risk zone includes major cities such as Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Poltava, Korosten, and several others in southern Ukraine.
“The red zone is a risk zone,” stated Flash, a technical advisor, emphasizing that Shahed drones could strike both static and moving targets within this area.
In the context of these threats, reports from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine indicated that a fire occurred at a fuel infrastructure facility in Zhytomyr due to enemy shelling, although no injuries were reported.
Context
- On July 17, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine warned that the Russian command had likely ordered its units to intensify drone strikes on Ukraine’s civil infrastructure and transportation in frontline and border areas. Intelligence indicated an increase in attacks on fuel stations, trucks, buses, and passenger vehicles.
- On July 18, Biskrestnov mentioned a shift in the Russian military’s drone strategy from mass attacks to more targeted strikes using manual control.
