Kathrine Frich
Nighttime explosions were reported across several Russian-held areas as Ukraine intensified its use of unmanned systems.
Kyiv says the latest wave of drone operations targeted key elements of Moscow’s air defense network and artillery units.
Nighttime operations
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said strikes were carried out overnight from February 23 to 24 in occupied parts of Donbas, Crimea and the Zaporizhzhia region.
In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, operators detected a BM-27 Uragan multiple launch rocket system positioned to fire at Ukrainian forces.
According to Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of the 414th Brigade, the launcher was hit while moving and destroyed.
He said the strike was conducted by the 7th “Kairos” Battalion, part of the brigade known as the “Madyar’s Birds.”
Air defense targeted
In Crimea, near Krasnosilské, Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked a Russian Pantsir-S1 short-range air defense system.
Brovdi said the operation was carried out by the 1st Independent Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces.
The same unit also struck a radar installation identified as a P-18, also known as Malachite, near Novofedorovka.
In the Donetsk region, close to the town of Svobodne, operators from the 412th “Nemesis” Brigade destroyed a Buk-M1 medium-range air defense launcher, according to information released by Brovdi along with video footage of the night operation.
Broader campaign
The commander stated that Ukraine’s priority remains the neutralization of Russian air defense components across long-, medium- and short-range systems.
The Buk-M1 is designed to intercept aerial targets at medium distances, while the Pantsir-S1 combines missile and gun systems for close-range protection.
P-18 or Malachite radars are used for airspace surveillance and early warning.
Earlier, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported strikes on a Russian missile division of the 15th Independent Coastal Missile Brigade in Crimea.
Ukrainian forces also claimed hits on ammunition depots and a logistics warehouse in Donetsk Oblast, as well as a drone command post in Mykolaiv Oblast.
The extent of Russian losses has not been independently verified.
Sources: WP.
