09:19 04-06-2026

Why Ukrainian Drones Flew Low Over Saint Petersburg

Zеlеnskiу / Оfficiаl / Telegram

Expert explains why Ukrainian drones flew low during the Saint Petersburg attack and how the tactic was aimed at complicating Russian air defense work.

Ukrainian drones flew unusually low during the attack on Saint Petersburg in an apparent attempt to make them harder for air defenses to detect, Maxim Kondratyev, founder of a drone aviation training center and an academician of the Russian Engineering Academy, told aif.ru.

On the night of June 3, air defense systems repelled a large-scale drone attack on Saint Petersburg. A total of 59 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones were destroyed over the Leningrad Region. Local residents noted that the aircraft appeared to be flying at an unusually low altitude.

Kondratyev explained that drones of different types can sharply descend and continue along their route close to the surface. This flight pattern reduces their visibility to radar stations: the closer a drone is to the ground, the harder it is for air defense systems to detect and intercept it.

According to the expert, the same tactic is used both over land and over water. While drones previously could fly at higher altitudes, Kondratyev said they now have to descend and stay extremely close to the ground in order to complicate the work of air defenses.

He linked this shift in the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ tactics to the growing effectiveness of Russian air defense systems. In his assessment, under these conditions drones have fewer options left other than flying at minimum altitude.