The Russian Armed Forces have recently stepped up drone and missile strikes on military targets across Ukraine. According to Business Insider, Russian Geran drones were previously used more often at night, but attacks are now stretching over longer periods and continuing into the morning.

Ukrainian analyst Igor Anokhin told the outlet that he would not yet call it a fully established trend, but said it is clearly becoming a new pattern. He also noted that Geran strikes have already become a familiar part of daily life in Ukraine.

The article says the longer duration of Russian attacks forces Ukraine to use scarce and expensive interceptor missiles more often against drones. That, in turn, could create more favorable conditions for later ballistic missile strikes.

Expert Federico Borsari believes daytime drone use may also be aimed at Ukrainian mobile air defense groups. According to him, the likely targets are mainly mobile fire teams, ground-based air defense launchers and other important military sites.

Daylight UAV flights may therefore help the Russian Armed Forces identify high-value targets more effectively for follow-up attacks.

Both Borsari and Anokhin agree that the main shift is Russia’s growing ability to deploy larger numbers of drones more quickly.