Ukraine launched coordinated drone strikes against Russian military assets in occupied Crimea, with one operation damaging a Project 10410 Svetlyak-class border patrol ship in the Caspian Sea.
Footage showed an FP-1 strike drone closing in on the warship as it engaged other aerial targets. Russian reports claimed the drone struck “directly from the side of the stern automatic artillery mount AK-630.”
Robert Brovdi, commander of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), said Russian forces had been using the vessel to counter aerial operations in the region.
The strikes were carried out during overnight operations beginning May 16, with Brovdi reporting additional missions across the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
SBS units also reportedly hit a strategic communications hub of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet, along with command posts and telecommunications towers.
“The variety of targets is going off the charts, we are increasing it,” Brovdi said on social media.
‘Largest Drone Strike on Russian Soil’
On the morning of May 17, Ukraine conducted a separate large-scale operation described as one of the most extensive drone strikes on Russian territory since the start of the war.
Russian media claimed more than 556 drones targeted fuel logistics facilities, microelectronics plants, and other assets supporting Russia’s defense industry.
While Russia’s Ministry of Defense said most of the attacks were intercepted, Ukrainian drone strikes reportedly triggered fires at the Elma-Zelenograd scientific and industrial complex.
Zelenograd, located 37 kilometers (23 miles) from Moscow, is considered one of Russia’s key electronics production hubs.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser Serhii Sternenko said larger attacks are being planned, with Moscow among future targets.
