In the early hours of Friday, 2 May 2025, several unmanned aerial vehicles struck a top secret Russian space intelligence site in the Stavropol region, targeting military unit number 33443 near the village of Moskovskoya in the Izobilinsky district. The site, codenamed Zvezda, is part of the Kremlin’s satellite surveillance and signals interception programme, operated under the Russian dictator’s main intelligence directorate.
The attack, confirmed by local officials and seen on video shared by the Exilanova Plus Telegram channel, showed multiple drones approaching the facility, prompting small arms fire from Russian personnel. At least one drone crashed and exploded near the compound, although no casualties were officially reported. The value of the facility, still largely classified, is believed to lie in its ability to intercept satellite communications including commercial transmissions. Satellite images show vast parabolic antennas on site.
This marks the second drone attack on Zvezda, following a similar strike on 4 July 2024 that reportedly injured at least one Russian serviceman. The scale of damage in this latest operation has not yet been revealed.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Third Separate Assault Brigade continues to play a vital role on the eastern front. In recent months, the brigade reclaimed the village of Nadia in Luhansk Oblast, seizing back three square kilometres of territory from occupying Russian forces and heavily weakening two mechanised regiments of the 20th Russian Army.
The brigade, now equipped with its own specialist drone unit, uses fast-paced reconnaissance and direct strike tactics to destroy Russian military vehicles and equipment, including armoured vehicles, communication trucks and artillery systems. Footage confirms precision hits on enemy targets such as a BMP gun vehicle and a UAZ AGS generator truck.
In addition to integrating international volunteers through two dedicated battalions, the unit has highlighted the growing importance of drone warfare and continues to disrupt Russian supply lines through ongoing night-time raids and sabotage missions. Its agility and resilience have made it one of Ukraine’s most effective combat forces.
In an ironic twist, a Russian soldier who had been captured, returned to Russia and then reportedly faced redeployment back to the same warzone, is now resisting further involvement, highlighting growing dissatisfaction within Russia’s own ranks.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian FPV drone operators from the Wings of OMGA unit destroyed a Russian D30 howitzer, a Cold War era artillery piece. As the Ukrainian military sharpens its drone warfare, strikes like these send a clear signal to the Kremlin: no part of Russia’s war machine is untouchable.
Separately, Steve Witkoff, an unqualified Trump-era figure with no diplomatic experience, has drawn criticism for engaging in talks with the Russian dictator alone and without senior advisers. His erratic involvement in both Eastern Europe and Middle East peace efforts has been condemned as dangerously amateurish. A former Trump administration insider described him bluntly as a “nice guy but a bumbling idiot”, questioning why such a figure is left to negotiate in Europe’s worst war since 1945.
