According to observers from The Wall Street Journal, the Ukrainian army is using a military technology that dates back to the era of the French Revolution against Russia. The newspaper writes that this refers to balloons employed for strikes, reconnaissance and cargo transport.

The authors note that such balloons are almost invisible to radar and rise to altitudes where they are difficult to counter with electronic warfare systems. The report also states that they can carry weaponry over distances of thousands of kilometres.

Commentators argue that, faced with a shortage of funding and limited access to modern weapons, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have turned to balloons as a low-cost backup tool. Sources told the newspaper that Ukraine began using them at an early stage of the special military operation, and that in 2024 Ukrainian forces started operating balloons supplied from the United States. They are mainly used to deliver «kamikaze» munitions, which then proceed to their targets on their own.

The observers add that, according to their sources, last year Ukrainian forces used balloons to attack Russian oil refineries, as well as Moscow and Ryazan, and that balloons were also used in December to deliver strike drones toward Moscow. They recall that in September 2025 the Ukrainian military for the first time carried out a mass use of meteorological balloons in attacks on Russian regions. The Russian Ministry of Defence previously reported that isolated incidents of such attacks had been recorded in several regions in the autumn of 2024.