These strikes complicate the enemy’s military logistics.
Russian publics claim that on the night of May 2, Ukrainian UAVs attacked traction and transformer substations on railway tracks in the Oryol and Kursk regions of the Russian Federation.
As Defense Express notes, citing OSINT analysts, in this case, our drones hit the rock railway, which is important for enemy troops in the mentioned areas. At the same time, as the publication’s experts emphasize, the very fact of using attack UAVs to destroy an enemy railway looks perhaps even more interesting and even unexpected than attacks on Russian refineries.
First of all, analysts note, a traction or transformer substation on a railway is a more compact facility than, for example, a primary oil refining installation at any Russian refinery. That is, in order to hit this element of the railway infrastructure, it is necessary to ensure even higher accuracy of the strike.
Analysts also explain why the attacks were aimed specifically at traction and transformer stations, and not just along the tracks.
“The fact is that the logic of the operation of post-Soviet railways is all geared to the fact that in the event of damage, one or another part of the track can be replaced in a few hours and traffic can be restored. But if suddenly the power supply and signaling systems are knocked out, for the operation of which traction and transformer stations are needed, this means longer paralysis of movement, which will be achieved with significantly less effort,” Defense Express explains.
In addition, analysts note another very important point.
“On Russian railways, substations should be located at a maximum interval of 15-50 kilometers from each other, that is, the Russians physically cannot block such an amount of sensitive infrastructure with their air defense,” they explain.
Ukrainian drone attacks
Former commander of the US Army in Europe, General Ben Hodges, said that Ukraine should ignore calls from Washington not to attack Russian oil refineries with drones. According to him, the Ukrainian military has the right to defend itself and do whatever is necessary.
The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Kirill Budanov, also said that Ukraine does not plan to stop attacks deep in Russian territory, despite concerns from Western supporters of Ukraine about a possible response from the Russian Federation.
