Ukrainian Drone Unit Launches Strikes on Russian Oil Targets

Soldiers from a Ukrainian military unit known as the First Separate Center of Unmanned Systems prepared and launched several long-range drones from a farm field in eastern Ukraine as night fell. The drones, manufactured by Fire Point, are designed to fly between 800 and 1,200 miles.

The unit's commander, identified only by the callsign Charlie, said the drones have struck oil refineries and other infrastructure deep inside Russia, including targets near Moscow. On June 18, Ukraine conducted its largest drone attack on the Russian capital to date, hitting an oil refinery and producing thick black smoke reported by residents.

In recent weeks the same unit has targeted railroad bridges, ferry crossings and supply routes used by Russian forces. Strikes have also reached Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and other areas of Russian-occupied Ukraine. Ukraine's Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that drones are isolating Crimea and that the peninsula could soon function as an island.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on June 10 that long-range drones struck more than 356,000 Russian targets over the past year.

Technology and Tactics Charlie, a career officer in his 30s who has led the unit for three years, described an accelerating competition in unmanned systems. He said Ukrainian forces lack cruise and ballistic missiles but have used drones to influence combat operations.

The launch process has been shortened from half a day to roughly the duration of a Formula 1 pit stop. After each drone took off, the unit quickly packed equipment and departed the field to avoid detection. Charlie said his team participated in a strike on an oil refinery near Moscow last month.