US and Ukrainian intelligence can detect signs of Russia preparing large-scale strikes roughly a week in advance, Le Monde reports. The newspaper says such operations require complex planning and therefore leave visible traces for surveillance.

One of the earliest indicators is the movement of Russian strategic aviation. Ukrainian Air Force representative Yury Ignat said that before a strike, cruise missiles must be delivered, aircraft armed, and planes redeployed from their permanent bases to five or six active runways. These steps, he noted, take at least several hours and sometimes several days.

Le Monde also points out that Russia uses a broad range of forces and weapons in attacks on Ukraine, including hundreds of drone operators, strategic aviation, the Black Sea Fleet, the Caspian Flotilla, missile forces, and artillery. According to the newspaper, tracking their location and readiness level makes it possible to estimate the likely scale of an upcoming strike in advance.

The Russian Armed Forces continue to carry out mass attacks on Ukrainian territory. On May 24, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported a retaliatory strike on Ukrainian military command facilities, air bases, and defense industry enterprises. The ministry said the attack involved Oreshnik ballistic missiles, Iskander aeroballistic missiles, Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missiles, Zircon cruise missiles, and strike drones.

Moscow said the response followed a Ukrainian drone attack on a college dormitory in Starobelsk on the night of May 22. At the time of the strike, 86 students were inside the building. The dormitory collapsed, killing 21 students and injuring 44 others.