Ukraine is using unmanned aircraft carrying explosive warheads as part of a campaign of long-range drone attacks, aiming to inflict blows on Russia far behind the front line. Kyiv's military granted Reuters exclusive access during the launch of the drones.

Moscow

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

The Ukrainian military has initiated a campaign utilizing long-range drones to target areas well behind the Russian front line. These unmanned aircraft are equipped with explosive warheads and are part of a strategic mission to impact Russia's military capacity. During the launch of these drones, Reuters was provided exclusive access, although specific details such as the location and timing of the strikes were withheld for security reasons. The Ukrainian forces made certain that the voices of soldiers were narrated by actors to protect their identities.

Kasper, the battalion commander of the mission, emphasized the potential impact of such operations and described the campaign as a deep strike effort. The Ukrainian wartime drone program has largely remained under wraps, but it is considered a critical component in counteracting Russia's nightly drone attacks. Recently, Kiev has escalated its drone attack operations while discussions on halting the conflict continue on the political stage.

The 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment, led by Kasper, is composed of several hundred personnel, including analysts and engineers committed to executing long-range strikes. A figure in the unit, identified by the callsign Fidel, mentioned that their drones have managed distances of up to approximately 1,200 miles during combat. Fidel highlighted the collective efforts of Ukraine’s society, state, and armed forces in maintaining their defensive posture. While drones have been pivotal, he noted the necessity of combined forces including infantry, artillery, and aviation for overall strategic success.



The Ukrainian drones striking deep inside Russia

One by one, long-range attack drones accelerate down an unlit, abandoned Ukrainian road and take off into the night sky. Carrying explosive warheads, they're part of a Ukrainian campaign of long-range drone attacks that aim to inflict blows on Russia far behind the front line. The Ukrainian military granted Reuters exclusive access during the launch of the drones, but said the location and date of the strike could not be disclosed for security reasons. The voices of the soldiers are narrated by actors at the request of the military, which reviewed the footage as part of the reporting. We're going to conduct a strategic mission today, says this battalion commander with the callsign Kasper. Unfortunately, I can't tell what our target is, but this is a deep strike and it's going to hurt, he says. Much of Ukraine's wartime drone program has been kept secret. It's seen as a way to chip away at Russia's vast military-industrial base, which has been conducting long-range drone attacks on a nightly basis. Kiev has stepped up its own drone strikes in recent weeks, as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes to halt the nearly three-year full-scale war. Kasper's unit, Ukraine's 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment, numbers a few hundred people and has its own analysts and engineers. They are focused specifically on long-range strikes. One of the unit's founders, who uses the callsign Fidel, said they had drones that had reached ranges around 1,200 miles during combat missions. I think we did a lot as a state, as a society, and as armed forces. We did it because we had no other choice. And this makes it possible for us to hold on. And God allowing, this can be a game-changer. But unmanned systems on their own will not change the course of the war. You still need infantry, which holds everything together. You need artillery, which holds a lot of things together. You need aviation, and many, many other things.

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Ukraine Invasion