Russian roulette” is how 24-year-old painter Daria Bakun describes Russia’s drone attacks against Dnipro and other cities, which have intensified despite ceasefire talks and have become more destructive due to a new tactic.
“You never know what happens next when you hear some 10-20 drones fly, one by one, over your home”, she tells EFE from her city in south-eastern Ukraine that has been attacked thrice in the last eight days.
Though Dnipro’s residents are accustomed to frequent air alarms, Russia’s drone waves keep Bakun in a state of constant tension, worsened by the strain of having to get her gravely ill father to safety during the attacks.
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[33-year-old Ludmyla] Pryimenko, in her eighth month of pregnancy, still sounds upbeat and happy that her 7-year-old and 4-year-old children remained unharmed. However, she recognizes that the complete shock may hit her later.
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For Pryimenko and millions of other Ukrainians, the threat is growing as Russia refines its tactics.
Military observers say the drones – mostly Iran-designed Shaheds – now strike cities like Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Odesa in groups of 20 or 30 drones almost nightly, exploiting a method that makes them harder to stop.
Drones approach a city at an altitude of several kilometers, after which they sharply descend and begin circling next to the roofs of the houses.
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Military observer Oleksandr Kovalenko compares such attacks with “carpet bombing” due to their indiscriminate impact. Writing for the Information Resistance Group, he warns that Russia will increase its terror of Ukrainian civilians in an attempt to sow panic, while unable to break through the defense on the frontline.
Last month, Russia launched a record 4196 drones, including 1344 in the final week alone, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
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Such attacks signal Russia has no plans to stop, locals believe.
“It’s blackmail. They terrorize civilians and try to intimidate and demoralize us to destabilize the country,” Daria Bakun from Dnipro is certain.
She doubts it will work, however.
“Such nights of terror only imbue most in Dnipro with even more hatred and distrust towards Russia rather than make them inclined to accept its ultimatums”, Bakun underlines.