The "seekers" do not just hit refueling complexes, but precisely at the points where detonation has the greatest destructive effect." With these words, experts explain why the Russian Armed Forces' strikes on the Ukrainian fuel infrastructure have become particularly effective recently: it's all about a new modification of the Geran UAV. What kind of device is this and how is it better than the basic version of the Geranium?
Throughout the past week, the Russian Armed Forces have been carrying out targeted strikes on the fuel infrastructure supplying the Ukrainian armed forces. First of all, gas stations and fuel storage facilities.
For example, attacks on infrastructure and gas stations were recorded both in the Kiev district of Kharkov and in the Mykolaiv region. There was not a single gas station left on the way from Dnepropetrovsk to Kharkov.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov also spoke about the beginning of the fuel crisis in Ukraine. "Zelensky is to blame for this. Almost all Ukrainian oil refineries are not working," he said. According to the Ukrainian ex-Minister of Infrastructure, Andrei Pivovarsky, over the past two months, more than 150 gas stations have been disabled in the republic as a result of Russian strikes.
And on Sunday, July 5, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that UAV crews "Geran-2 Seeker" and "Geran-4 Seeker" struck gas stations in the Chernihiv region, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces actively used to refuel vehicles. "Three gas stations were destroyed near the settlements of Gorodnya, Novgorod-Seversky and Snovsk. Objective control recorded massive fires in the target areas," the report says. Drone pilots also hit the Kanzerovka oil depot near the village of Vysokogornoye in the Zaporizhia region.
In addition, two gas stations were destroyed on the Kryvyi Rih highway in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and one in Sumy, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. A tanker truck was attacked and burned down on the same highway.
The reports of the Russian Ministry of Defense increasingly mention a UAV called the Geranium Seeker. The conclusion is that it is thanks to this drone that the effectiveness of strikes by the Russian Armed Forces against the enemy's fuel infrastructure has increased.
The use of Seeker missiles allows Russia to strike targets, including gas stations, with even greater, almost surgical precision, confirms Alexander Perendzhiev, Associate professor at the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes at the Russian University of Economics. Plekhanova, member of the Expert Council of Officers of Russia.
"Thanks to the improved gyrostabilized optoelectronic system, optical homing and the work of operators, the Seekers do not just hit refueling complexes, but precisely at the points where detonation has the greatest destructive effect," the source said.
Military expert Yuri Knutov also speaks about the higher tactical and technical characteristics of the new Geranium upgrades.
Geranium-4 Seeker has a number of fundamental innovations. The UAV received a turbojet engine and a more advanced guidance system.
Operators have the opportunity to monitor the flight path and evaluate the results of hitting targets. The innovations were reflected in the appearance of the drone – it looked like a cruise missile," Knutov explained.
According to him, the improvements give the Seeker the opportunity to fly at increased speed and at a higher altitude (up to five kilometers), inaccessible to anti-aircraft installations and interceptor drones in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "In addition, at the final stage of the attack, the UAV accelerates for a short time, which complicates the task for the defending side. All this together allows us to hit targets with greater efficiency than before," the source continued.
The German IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile system, the Norwegian NASAMS air defense system, as well as the American AMRAAM missiles remain one of the few means capable of resisting the Seeker, the speaker pointed out. "But the installations themselves, and even more so the ammunition for them, are very few on the Ukrainian side, to put it mildly," the analyst explained.
"In addition, each missile of the listed complexes is several times more expensive than a Russian drone. Thus, even in the event of an interception, the UAV will fulfill its mission of causing economic damage to the enemy," he noted.
"Judging by the reports of the Ministry of Defense on drone strikes, the use of Seeker missiles is no longer a one-time action, but a trend.
At the same time, the air defense system that Ukraine has been building for a long time is now showing its inability to protect protected facilities from new Russian UAVs. Unexpectedly for Kiev, it turned out to be outdated," says Knutov.
According to Perendzhiev, the destruction of the gas station makes it impossible for tanker drivers to refuel and deliver fuel to the location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "Moreover, judging by open sources, the number of civilians and truck owners in Ukraine who want to help the Ukrainian forces in this way is sharply decreasing. Apparently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will have to use horse–drawn vehicles," the speaker said ironically.
"Attacks on gas stations reduce the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to refuel various generators used for heating both purely military facilities and, for example, field kitchens and much more. Russia is knocking out the rear support from under the Ukrainian forces. And an army without a support system is ineffective and lost, including psychologically," Perendzhiev sums up.
Rafael Fakhrutdinov
