What's the point in Ukraine's drone war against Russia?

It's almost a daily occurrence now.

Against the backdrop of its gritty counteroffensive, Ukraine is firing drone after drone deep inside Russian territory, targeting Moscow especially.

Yet, bar some exceptions, most strikes lack a clear military objective and almost always cause no casualties or damage - especially when they are often intercepted by Russian air defences.

So what then is the purpose of Kyiv’s drone war against Russia?

A key element is psychological warfare, with Ukraine trying to damage highly symbolic Russian targets, says Peter Lee, a drone expert at the University of Portsmouth.

“Ukraine is much less powerful than Russia because of its size,” he explains. “Especially when you are up against a much bigger enemy, drones allow you to target your enemy's capital.”

“That, for centuries, has been known to have a psychological effect.”

An alleged drone strike spectacularly hit the Kremlin in May, which initially claimed it was an assassination attempt against Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, some analysts called the incident an inside job designed to put Russia's population on more of a war footing. 

“Back in Ukraine, such attacks boost the morale of an army and population that are suffering terribly," continues Lee. "It's a small indication of offensive power, but it shows they are able to hit back.”

The same goes for Russia, just in the opposite way.

“There is a psychological effect in taking the war to Russia’s homeland,” says Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher at King’s College War Studies Department. “The Ukrainians want to show the weakness of Russian air defences and that the regime is unable to protect its citizens in the very heart of Russia.”

She points to the spate of attacks in July on the