Small compact flying objects or aircraft packed with technology, drones have been attracting more and more light since the start of the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday, Moscow accused kyiv of attempting to attack the Kremlin with two drones, which were allegedly shot down by Russian forces. On Thursday, oil refineries were attacked by drones in southwestern Russia. Psychological maneuver or staged, the attack on the Kremlin shows the involvement of these unmanned aircraft in this European war.
Russian media shared numerous videos of the incident near the Kremlin. In one of the videos shared, a device can be seen exploding on top of the dome of the Palace of the Senate, one of the main buildings in the Kremlin. Moscow considers it to be “an attempted terrorist act and [d’] an attempt on the life of the Russian president. For its part, kyiv denied any involvement and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky added: “We did not attack [Vladimir] Cheese fries […] We are defending our villages and towns”.
Technically “feasible” for Kyiv
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs considered that the attack was “strange to say the least”, Thursday on France Inter and the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken declared for his part to take “everything that comes out of the Kremlin with great precaution “. But if the author of the attack is not known with certainty and that Catherine Colonna estimated the fact that drones reach the Kremlin was “rather incomprehensible”, it is however technically possible. “It’s doable,” says Yves Boyer, a member of the international think tank TAG. “A strike from Ukraine is possible, but it is also possible that it is a Ukrainian group infiltrated in Russia which directly mounted the drone on Russian territory about a hundred kilometers from the Kremlin”, explains this expert. in security and defence.
“Russia is 9,000 km from west to east. Drones have a range of a few kilometers to a few hundred kilometers. For comparison, cruise missiles can travel up to 3,000 km. Fired from Ukraine, a drone can therefore enter Russian airspace but cannot cover the whole country in a single flight. An operating mode having a drone take off from the interior of the country would make the task easier,” agrees Lucas Le Bell. Especially since “the longer we fly over, the more we risk being spotted”, recalls the co-founder of the company CerbAirwhich designs and produces systems to combat drones used for malicious purposes.
However, the seat of Russian power is some 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. And, in terms of drones, “the autonomy depends on their size, the smaller the aircraft, the more it is reduced”, explains Yves Boyer. UJ-22 drones have a long range and can potentially reach the Russian capital, for example. One of these machines from the firm Ukrjet crashed near the Gazprom installations, near the village of Gubastovo, about a hundred kilometers from the Kremlin last February.
A “symbolic damage”
If the drones were assembled directly on Russian territory, they could be medium-sized aircraft. “These drones can attack targets 100 or even 200 kilometers away”, notes Yves Boyer before adding: “they are however drones with very small loads”. “In terms of efficiency, it’s useless. If you want to destroy the National Assembly in France, for example, it is not 20 kg of explosives that will be enough”, illustrates the member of the international think tank TAG. However, the symbolism is strong. “The effect is only political, it shows that the Russians can be vulnerable,” explains the former professor at Polytechnique.
“The damage is, unsurprisingly, very superficial. It’s a symbolic damage, ”adds Lucas Le Bell. Because the Kremlin is a symbol – probably even the most important symbol – of Russian power. However, it is extremely difficult to prove the origin of this attack, which is one of the advantages of using drones. These aircraft played a central role in the war in Ukraine. Originally confined to reconnaissance, they have mutated since the beginning of the conflict and are overused in this conflict.
“Misappropriate uses of the drone”
“This war marks the revelation of the use of drones for kinetic purposes. Previously used in reconnaissance or espionage operations, they are used here for bombing purposes,” explains Yves Boyer. Moreover, Ukrainians have learned to deal with what they have. “Civilian drones are tinkered with to be used. The Ukrainians use a lot of small drones, sometimes tinkered with drop systems to carry out surgical strikes on certain tank components, such as optics for example”, deciphers Lucas Le Bell.
Drones are also much more economical than missiles. “These drones act as low-cost missiles, they are worth between 10,000 and 20,000 euros when the missiles themselves are worth hundreds of thousands of euros to millions,” explains the co-founder of CerbAir. “If the drone is intercepted, there is a financial cost – but quite low – and no human cost since it has no pilot”, notes Yves Boyer. In Ukraine, jewels of technology rub shoulders on the battlefield with do-it-yourself leisure drones. “Before, it was very expensive operations, reserved for a limited club of countries which had the means and the expertise”, underlines Lucas Le Bell. But today, the use of these aircraft raises a question of “internal security”. “The creativity is endless in these misuse of the drone and, tomorrow, they could be used by terrorists”, warns the co-founder of CerbAir.