Is Russia losing the war?

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Last month four Russian soldiers crossed into northeast Ukraine and were attacked by drones. Then the Ukrainians sent a drone with a loudspeaker which ordered them to surrender.…

Last month four Russian soldiers crossed into northeast Ukraine and were attacked by drones. Then the Ukrainians sent a drone with a loudspeaker which ordered them to surrender. They did and walked behind the drone until they were captured by Ukrainian soldiers.

In January, three Russians walked out of a building and surrendered to a ground Ukrainian robot armed with a machine gun.

Ukraine’s widespread use of drones and robotics, at no risk to its men, is one reason why Russia is losing the war.

Oleksandr Syrski, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that his side’s drones were flying 11,000 combat missions a day, with a range of up to 120 kilometres.

“From December to March, the drones killed more Russians each month than they were able to recruit,” he said. “In March, drones and robotics caused 35,000 Russian casualties. We have 30 per cent more drones than they do.”

In March, Russia made no territorial gains for the first month since its invasion began in February 2022, according to the Institute for the Study of War in Washington D.C.

Drones are also greatly damaging Russian oil sector, the most important sector of the economy. Such attacks began at the start of 2024 and caused gasoline shortages at the pump in Russian cities.

The campaign expanded along with a growing fleet of long-range drones. By last September, the strikes had destroyed or damaged 20 percent of Russia’s refining equipment. The most significant strikes hit the Baltic ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk, which handle roughly 40 percent of the country’s seaborne crude exports.

Local authorities reported damage at both ports. The number of tankers loading oil there this April has fallen sharply, according to an analysis of trading activity by Bloomberg.

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