In light of recent photos and videos drawing public attention to Shahed drone production, a common question has emerged: Why can’t Ukraine simply strike the facility? Hit the archer, not the arrow! The answer, however, is more complicated than it seems. Here are a few key points:
2/ The drone production site is located more than 1,200 kilometers from Ukrainian territory. It's not a modest workshop - the facility occupies roughly 160,000 square meters, with additional ongoing expansion.
3/ Any drone capable of reaching that distance must carry a significant fuel load, which in turn limits its payload capacity. In short, drones that can fly that far typically can't deliver the kind of payload needed to inflict serious or lasting damage to a facility that big
4/ Ideally, targets like this should be neutralized through carpet bombing or multiple missile strikes aimed at production bottlenecks. At present, Ukraine lacks the capacity to conduct such operations, though that may change as its missile capabilities evolve.
5/ An internal sabotage or “spiderweb-style” operation targeting key components of the facility is theoretically possible. However, such attacks alone are unlikely to halt production permanently. At best, they would cause temporary disruption and are difficult to replicate again
6/ The phrase “kill the archer, not the arrow” may sound compelling when used for bombers, but not so much for the production facility. In addition to the production, Russia has dispersed launch sites - rudimentary setups often consist of dirt roads long enough to launch a drone.
7/ Striking launch areas would have little effect unless Ukraine could hit multiple sites consistently, day after day. Storage sites near the launch areas could be targeted, but even a successful strike would likely destroy only a portion of the drones stockpiled for a single day
8/ The task isn’t impossible, and Ukraine may yet find a way to destroy the facility, but its difficulty is often underestimated, especially by those who believe a single successful strike would be enough to “fix it.” Unfortunately, the reality is far more complicated
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