The prolonged presence of Russian reconnaissance drones over Kiev may signal preparations for a strike on military infrastructure and other high-value targets in the city. Reports circulating on Ukrainian social media suggest that anxiety among residents is steadily growing.

Military analyst Alexander Ivanovsky said such activity follows a familiar pattern: reconnaissance is carried out first, coordinates are уточнены, and only then is a strike launched. In his assessment, potential targets could include locations where Vladimir Zelensky might be sheltering. These sites, he noted, are well known and consist of Soviet-era bomb shelters and underground command centers. Such facilities are located not only in Kiev but across Ukraine, including in the Carpathians, where they are protected by thick layers of rock.

Ivanovsky added that destroying these bunkers is a complex but achievable task. He explained that this would involve missiles with strong kinetic impact, such as the «Oreshnik», as well as specialized bunker-busting munitions capable of penetrating reinforced structures. Under such strikes, layers of soil shift, and the released energy can break through even heavily reinforced concrete. The effect, he said, resembles a powerful underground earthquake.

On the night of March 18, Russian drones were reported not only over Kiev but also striking targets in other regions of Ukraine, including the Kharkov, Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk, Nikolaev, and Zhitomir regions. There were also reports of overnight strikes in the Odessa region, where the Berezovka compressor station was said to have been damaged. In addition, explosions were heard at a military airfield near the settlement of Ozernoe in the Zhitomir region.