Ukrainian drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) successfully struck a major Russian military ammunition depot near the occupied Crimean village of Perevalne this week. According to sources cited by the Kyiv Post, the target belonged to the 126th separate guards coastal defence brigade of the Russian army and contained stored equipment, weapons and fuel.
The precision drone strike reportedly killed an undisclosed number of Russian troops. Social media footage and local eyewitness accounts showed huge explosions, intense fires, and thick black smoke billowing from the impact site. In response, Russian forces temporarily closed traffic along the Simferopol-Yalta highway, highlighting the scale of the disruption.
Although Kremlin-installed officials, including the puppet governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev, claimed on Telegram that their air defences had intercepted six drones over the sea, the damage on the ground suggests otherwise. Videos verified by open-source investigators depict chaos and destruction within the facility, reinforcing the accuracy of Ukraine’s aerial operation.
Occupied Crimea remains a strategically crucial area for the Russian war machine. It serves as a base for missile launches, naval operations in the Black Sea, and logistics for Russia’s invasion of southern Ukraine. Its 2014 annexation by the Russian dictator marked the start of Moscow’s unlawful territorial aggression against Ukraine.
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified strikes on military infrastructure in Crimea, targeting ammunition depots, airfields, and air defence systems. Several key Russian naval vessels, including landing ships and reconnaissance assets, have been disabled by similar precision attacks, forcing Russia to relocate a significant part of its Black Sea Fleet to Novorossiysk.
Meanwhile, just outside Moscow, a fire erupted at a warehouse at a military equipment testing site. While the cause remains unclear, speculation ranges from Ukrainian sabotage to the more routine explanation of Russian carelessness. Either way, such incidents continue to expose and weaken the logistics behind Russia’s war effort.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Ukrainian drone operators from the Signum Battalion identified and destroyed a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun near Lyman. This Cold War-era artillery system, capable of firing nuclear or conventional shells up to 47 kilometres, was neutralised after being detected in action. The Ukrainian strike significantly reduces the threat posed by the heavy artillery system.
Further strikes also reportedly destroyed a Russian BUK air defence system along with its accompanying ammunition. These systems pose one of the biggest threats to Ukrainian air operations. Taking them out clears the way for further Ukrainian drone and aircraft strikes behind enemy lines, improving Ukraine’s tactical flexibility.
On the technological front, Ukraine continues to lead with innovation. The Ukrainian company Full-Time Robotics has unveiled a new laser turret system designed to neutralise drones at a range of up to one kilometre. The 1.5-kilowatt weapon system can blind and destroy enemy drones, and demonstrates Ukraine’s rapidly advancing domestic defence technologies.
From 3D printed munitions to naval drones and repurposed commercial drones, Ukraine’s ingenuity continues to give its military the edge against a better equipped but less agile Russian force. Ukrainian commanders report that this technological superiority is paying off in the field. According to Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the Third Assault Brigade, in the Kharkiv region, Russian losses in some sectors now outnumber Ukrainian ones by up to 12 to 1.
