Russia continues systemic strikes on Ukraine’s energy sector: over 20,000 strike UAVs and 300 cruise missiles used – British intelligence
Russia applied thousands of strike UAVs and cruise missiles against Ukrainian energy facilities in January-February 2026, continuing its systemic strategy.
As Censor.NET informs, such data is provided by the UK Ministry of Defence.
It is noted that in January 2026, Russia used about 4,400 strike UAVs against Ukraine, which is slightly less than the 5,100 in December, a decrease attributed to unfavorable weather.
In the first two weeks of February, the intensity of UAV usage increased again, to an average of 190 units per day, compared to an average of 140 per day in January. From January 28 to February 2, a pause in strikes on energy infrastructure was observed, which was maintained by both sides.
Russia increased the use of ballistic missiles
The main target of Russian strikes since October 2025 has been and remains Ukraine's energy infrastructure facilities. During this time, Russia has used more than 20,000 strike UAVs and over 300 cruise missiles, systematically attempting to destroy generation facilities and the power transmission grid.
This winter, Russia has been using ballistic missiles much more intensively, which helps it compensate for problems with the employment of cruise missiles launched from Tu-95 aircraft.
"Any pauses in the use of missiles allow Russia to accumulate stockpiles for subsequent strikes, the priority targets of which will almost certainly remain the national critical infrastructure," British Ministry of Defence analysts believe.
