Russia shifts Shahed tactics: "Flash" reveals dangerous new approach

Russia is changing the way it deploys Shahed drones, abandoning large-scale swarm attacks in favor of more targeted strikes, according to Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser and military technology expert Serhii Beskrestnov, known by the callsign "Flash."

Russia changes Shahed attack tactics against Ukraine

"The change in Shahed tactics is unfolding according to the scenario I predicted a year ago," the expert said.

According to Beskrestnov, Russian forces are increasingly using jet-powered drones to strike deep inside Ukraine. The shift comes after Ukraine's air defenses achieved interception rates of 92-96% against conventional gasoline-powered Shaheds, making long-range missions with those drones increasingly ineffective for Russia.

"Gasoline-powered Shaheds, however, remain heavily active against border territories and cities. About 200 drones strike targets in these areas daily—including gas stations, warehouses, energy facilities, and transport," Flash noted.

He explains that because these areas are close to the Russian border, operators control the drones via radio using mesh modems, making electronic warfare systems designed to jam satellite navigation largely ineffective in such cases. The expert also stressed that the overall decline in the number of Shaheds launched across Ukraine is not the result of financial constraints or technical problems on Russia's side.

"I believe part of the production capacity is now being redirected toward the mass production of jet-powered Shaheds," the Defense Ministry adviser said.

According to him, Russian forces have switched to carefully selected strikes against high-value targets. Before launching an attack, they conduct reconnaissance in several stages, identifying the locations of Ukraine's electronic warfare systems, radar stations, and air defense assets.

Using that intelligence, Russian planners map out safer flight corridors to avoid Ukrainian interceptors, assigning routes at different altitudes and speeds. They are also deploying the Seeker modification, a version of the Shahed equipped with an automatic target acquisition system.

"I've explained what the enemy is doing. As for what we need to do, what should be changed, and how it should be changed, I obviously won't discuss that publicly," Beskrestnov concluded.