Ukraine’s Air Force has destroyed a Russian drone launch site in Kursk Oblast, killing up to 20 unmanned aerial vehicle operators, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported.

On 19 April, a Ukrainian airstrike hit a facility near Tyotkino, used by Russian forces to prepare, equip, and launch reconnaissance, attack, and FPV drones.

According to Militarnyi, the strike targeted the grounds of the Tyotkino sugar factory, where Russian personnel were based.

The General Staff did not specify the weapon used. In a previous operation, a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter had struck a similar site with a French-made high-precision AASM (HAMMER) guided bomb.

Meanwhile, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported on 21 April that Ukrainian forces thwarted another Russian offensive along the Sumy and Kursk axes. 

“Intense fighting continues in Sumy Oblast near the state border, as well as on Russian territory.

Following orders from their command, Russian forces are attempting to push us out of Kursk Oblast and seize border areas of Sumy Oblast. However, the aggressive plan has once again been disrupted by Ukraine’s Defense Forces, whose active operations have derailed the enemy’s advance in this sector,” said Syrskyi. 

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Ukrainian forces repelled five Russian attacks in Kursk Oblast on 21 April, with two engagements still ongoing. Russian aircraft conducted 16 airstrikes, dropping 21 guided aerial bombs. Additionally, more than 130 artillery strikes targeted Ukrainian positions and nearby settlements.