Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces have destroyed 19 Russian air defense elements since the beginning of March, including a strike on a fuel-laden train some 150 km behind the front line, their commander has announced.
Robert Brovdi, who leads the force, said last week that two of the 19 targets were hit on Thursday alone, "Hvylya" reports, citing the Financial Times. Footage of a Ukrainian-built FP-2 drone striking the fuel train accompanied the announcement.
The strikes are part of Ukraine's broader push to contest the "middle strike" range of 50 to 200 km behind the front line - a zone where Russia has traditionally held the advantage. The military has intensified its use of aerial drones capable of reaching these distances, targeting logistics and air defense infrastructure that supports Russian operations.
Oleksiy Melnyk, a military analyst at the Razumkov Centre and a former officer in the Ukrainian Air Force, called the growing diversity of unmanned platforms - from strike drones to ground robots ferrying supplies - a breakthrough that has fundamentally altered Ukraine's defensive posture.
Melnyk stressed that Ukrainian society badly needs evidence that the war is not going the way Moscow claims. The deep strikes, he said, push back against the narrative of inevitable Russian dominance and demonstrate that Kyiv can still impose real costs on the invader.
See also: Ukraine Unveils FP-7 Ballistic Missile Capable of Striking Targets 300 Kilometers Away.