According to the BBC, there have been almost 200 suspected drone attacks this year in Russia and in Russian-annexed Crimea.
19 August 2023
A suspected drone attack left one of Russia’s flagship Tupolev Tu-22 bombers ablaze at Soltsy-2 airbase, south of St Petersburg.
Even Moscow itself became a target for drone attacks. Its financial district has experienced six strikes.
27 August 2023
The Ukrainians reportedly used their cardboard drones, akin to those produced by the Australian company SYPAQ, to damage a MiG-29 and four Su-30 fighters in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
29 August 2023
Perhaps the most striking example occurred with the strike on Pskov airfield, some 700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The attack destroyed two of Russia’s roughly one hundred IL-76 heavy transport aircraft and damaged two other planes.
War of drones: can Ukraine keep its assymetric advantage?
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 19, 2023
We've documented key drone attacks on Russian targets. The Pskov airfield strike, 700km from the border, stands out.https://t.co/xUDTFMYkWw
????️https://t.co/2UJ7CJ6zIx pic.twitter.com/XEYm8qzxpv
On that same night, drones launched attacks on five more Russian regions and the occupied Sevastopol. In Bryansk, unmanned aircraft caused a fire at the Kremniy EL plant, one of Russia’s largest microelectronics enterprises. Russian authorities reported the destruction of drones in Tula, Ryazan, as well as over the Oryol and Kaluga oblasts.
War of drones: can Ukraine keep its assymetric advantage?
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 19, 2023
We've documented key drone attacks on Russian targets. In August 2023, a drone caused a fire in Bryansk at one of Russia's largest microelectronics enterprises. https://t.co/xUDTFMYkWw…
????️https://t.co/xpk6WV01fP pic.twitter.com/g9gqOxVWht
Moscow under drone attacks
3 May 2023
Russia accused Ukraine of attempting to assassinate Vladimir Putin at his Kremlin residence, although Ukraine denied involvement.
Kremlin drone attack may be a false flag operation.
— Ukraine Reporter (@StateOfUkraine) May 3, 2023
High-quality CCTV footage from Kremlin-controlled cameras & swift confirmation of the attack raise suspicions.
????????narrative echoes 1999 bombings used to justify the 2d Chechen war, which were later proven to be carried out by FSB pic.twitter.com/POTa3revAW
After that, Ukrainian drones started increasingly targeting Moscow’s city center, aiming to instill fear and division among the Russian population.
30 July, 1 August 2023
Multiple drones struck the upscale business center Moscow City, causing explosions that damaged two buildings. One of the impacted structures houses the offices of Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Ministry of Economic Development, and Ministry of Industry and Trade.
в москве – "мамулечка"
— Румынская сотня ???????????????? (@latiniano) July 30, 2023
предварительно дрон попал в офисное здание в районе "москва-сити", мощный взрыв
——-
их карающие сабли обрушатся на вас, о неверные псы – басмач Кирим :) pic.twitter.com/k26lfw0OS0
18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 August 2023
Drones attacked Moscow for six days in a row. According to Russian authorities, most of them were shot down. However, the UAVs damaged another unfinished skyscraper in the Moscow City business center, as well as the adjacent Expocentre and several residential buildings.
The Russian authorities deliberately refrain from activating air raid sirens during drone attacks to avoid causing panic among civilians. As a result, each of these strikes catches local residents off guard. The city authorities try to downplay the impact of such strikes in the eyes of the public, however it is known for certain that Moscow airports, sometimes all four, are closed after each attack. This undoubtedly affects Russia’s military logistics as well.
Drone attacks on Russian oil facilities
31 May 2023
Drones have targeted Russian oil facilities in the Krasnodar Krai far from the Ukrainian border, including the Afipskiy Refinery, around 450 km away. Earlier, in Febraury 2023, UAVs targeted the Tuapse Refinery.
???????? BURNS ???? ????
— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) May 31, 2023
The Afipsky Oil Refinery in Russia ???????? was caught fire last night.
The cause remains unknown…
But more and more there are signs that Russia’s population is becoming active against Putin. pic.twitter.com/lSIeetFpj1
22 July 2023
Both an oil depot and Russian military warehouses near Simferopol were destroyed. Earlier, in April 2023, a drone struck a fuel storage tank in Sevastopol.
Video of huge fire at Russia navy + oil depot in the Crimea port city of Sevastopol today as fuel tanks burn by Kozacha bay. Ukraine kamikaze drone strike suspected: pic.twitter.com/ebZNe9Js49
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) April 29, 2023
1 October
More recently, drones struck a fuel reservoir near Sochi Airport in September and a helicopter parking area in Sochi, around 550 km from Ukraine.
???????????? Huge fire in ????????-occupied Sochi.
— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) September 20, 2023
A fuel tank is burning near the airport in Adler; before this, locals heard the sound of an explosion ????.
Crimea will be free! pic.twitter.com/2lJDeChmj4
Ukraine’s naval drones target Russian positions
24 May 2023
In May, Kyiv confirmed the use of naval drones in attacking the Ivan Khurs Russian reconnaissance ship near the Bosphorus Strait.
17 July 2023
Ukrainian forces once again attacked the Kerch Strait Bridge, this time with uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). The USVs blew up a significant portion of the bridge, causing serious disruptions to Russia’s supply logistics.
Exclusive footage of the attack on the Kerch Bridge in July using an experimental naval drone from the Security Service of Ukraine – CNN.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 16, 2023
The drone is called Sea Baby. It delivered up to 850 kilograms of explosives to one of the bridge's concrete pillars.
Glory to Ukrainian… pic.twitter.com/vYaZCHUSwV
21 September 2023
The Ukrainian naval forces successfully carried out a special operation causing serious damage to the Saky airfield in Crimea. Reports show that Ukrainian forces used drones to overwhelm Russian air defenses, then launched Neptune missiles at the intended targets.
Explosions at a military airfield in Russian-occupied Saky, Crimea pic.twitter.com/TqkYHBiqzj
— Michael MacKay (@mhmck) August 9, 2022
22 September 2023
The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a missile strike on the Sevastopol HQ of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the “historic Black Sea Fleet headquarters building was damaged,” with some sources claiming British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles had been used in the attack. Before the missiles struck the building, the Russians claimed that their air defense system had shot down several drones.
Footage showing a Ukrainian missile hit on Russia's Black Sea Fleet HQ in occupied Sevastopol on 22 September.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) September 23, 2023
????https://t.co/RTynWUqrZE pic.twitter.com/w5XkjOpPc6
12 and 13 October 2023
The explosions rocked at least three Russian ships, including the patrol ship Pavel Derzhavin, the military ship Buyan-M equipped with cruise missiles, and a tugboat. Sources from the BBC attribute both attacks to Kyiv.
A project 21631 Buyan-M – a carrier of calibers, exploded on the roadstead of Sevastopol.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 13, 2023
???? Local media in Russia-occupied Crimea pic.twitter.com/4XnLQk7Yxy
Overall, Ukraine’s attacks in the Black Sea have been so successful that the Russian fleet has been forced to resort to guerilla tactics. Russian ships try to briefly venture into open waters, fire their weapons, and flee, but this does not always work.
“The Russian Black Sea Fleet has been cornered in its ports. It barely leaves the harbor in Sevastopol, barricading itself behind booms reminiscent of WWI defenses. The Russians tried hiding in Novorossiysk too, but Ukraine reached them there as well. For now, the only relatively safe area for them is the Sea of Azov, and even that is temporary,” Ukrainian military expert Yevhen Dykyi told Euromaidan Press.
Kyrylo Budanov dismisses claims that the new strike capacity could lead to escalation or portray Ukraine as the aggressor. He asserts that his forces adhere to the rules of war, and there have been no civilian casualties in Russia. This outcome reflects Ukraine’s deliberate choice rather than capability constraints.
“No one believes the UK or US were the aggressors in the second World War, although they also bombed the territory of Germany,” he said.