Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russia’s Engels bomber base have sparked a devastating series of explosions, destroying some cruise missiles and forcing Russia to scramble its air defenses. The raids, part of a 10-week campaign targeting the base, demonstrate Ukraine’s “left-of-boom” strategy – hitting enemy strongpoints before they can be attacked.
This tactic has been adopted by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to prevent roadside bomb ambushes. Ukraine is now using similar tactics to counter Russia’s bombing campaigns, targeting drone factories, munitions warehouses, and aviation fuel depots on Russian soil.
The failure of Russian air defenses to adapt to small drone threats makes these strikes possible. Recent sightings of Ukrainian drones near Saratov have raised concerns about the effectiveness of Russia’s security measures. With limited air defense capabilities, Ukraine can’t protect all population centers – it’s a case of “shoot first” to mitigate Russia’s ongoing bombardment.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2025/03/20/aiming-left-of-the-boom-ukraines-drones-are-blowing-up-munitions-stocks-in-russia