Kyiv: In a snow-covered wooded area in Ukraine, long-range drones loaded with explosive warheads accelerated down an abandoned road, their engines whirring as they ascended into the night sky. These unmanned aircraft are part of Ukraine’s campaign of long-range drone attacks targeting Russian infrastructure far from the battlefield.
“Our main goal is to conduct strikes on logistics hubs, ammunition warehouses, and reduce the enemy’s pressure on the front line,” said the commander of the Ukrainian drone unit, known by the call sign Casper. Reuters was granted exclusive access to observe the launch of these drones, though the exact date and location were withheld for security reasons.
A Strategic Tool in Ukraine’s Arsenal
Ukraine’s drone program has been a closely guarded secret, serving as a critical countermeasure against Russia’s larger stockpile of long-range missiles. Moscow conducts nightly drone assaults, and Kyiv has recently escalated its own strikes. While U.S. President Donald Trump is advocating for peace talks to end the nearly three-year-long conflict, both sides are striving to strengthen their battlefield positions to negotiate from a point of advantage.
Ukraine is using unmanned aircraft carrying explosive warheads as part of a campaign of long-range drone attacks, aiming to inflict blows on Russia far behind the front line. Kyiv's military granted @Reuters exclusive access during the launch of the drones https://t.co/5Eazp8OxMs pic.twitter.com/ZvDin4unXz
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 25, 2025
Russia’s defense ministry reported on Friday that over 121 Ukrainian drones targeted 13 of its regions in an overnight attack. While Russia claimed to have repelled the assault, Ukraine’s military confirmed strikes on key facilities, including an oil refinery and a microchip factory in the Bryansk region. Online videos showed massive flames and smoke at an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region.
A Specialized Regiment for Long-Range Strikes
Casper commands the 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment, a unit comprising several hundred members, including analysts and engineers, focused specifically on long-range strikes. One of the regiment’s founders, using the call sign Fidel, revealed that their drones have reached ranges of up to 2,000 km (1,240 miles) during combat missions.
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Among the unit’s notable achievements is a strike on the Engels airbase, situated approximately 730 km (450 miles) southeast of Moscow, a critical hub for Russian strategic bombers. Despite these successes, Fidel emphasized the limitations of drones: “Unmanned systems alone cannot change the course of the war. You still need infantry, artillery, aviation, and many other elements.”
The regiment primarily uses the domestically developed “Lyuty” drones for these operations. Casper estimated the overall efficiency of the weapon to be between 40% and 50%. Reuters, however, could not independently verify this assessment.
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The Push for Peace Amid Escalation
As the conflict drags on, both Ukraine and Russia are leveraging all available resources to gain an upper hand. The escalation in drone warfare underscores the importance of unmanned systems in modern combat while highlighting their limitations in achieving decisive outcomes.
