#ukrainiandrones

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Swipe left on this post at @kyivindependent_official for more important developments reported in its Ukraine War Latest update for July 17, 2025. 🇺🇦💙💛🇺🇸

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump are exploring a potential agreement involving the purchase of American weapons in exchange for the sale of Ukrainian drones, Zelensky told the New York Post in an interview published on July 17.

The U.S. was working to speed up weapons deliveries to Ukraine in coordination with President Donald Trump’s new NATO initiative, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said, Barron’s reported on July 17.

Read the full report at the link in bio.

Photo: Tierney L. / Getty Images

9h

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“Ukrainian drones have destroyed two Russian Tu-142 naval aircraft and an Iskander ballistic missile system, overnight on May 30, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi reported.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost [screenshot from video at]  @kyivindependent_official . . . Ukrainian drones have destroyed two Russian Tu-142 naval aircraft and an Iskander ballistic missile system, overnight on May 30, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi reported.

The Iskander and two Tu-142 aircraft were attacked at a military airfield in Taganrog, a port city on the Sea of Azov in Rostov Oblast, Brovdi said.

The strike was achieved by the 1st Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces, a unit that specializes in deep strikes on Russian military targets and oil and gas infrastructure.

The Tu-142 is a long-range marine reconnaissance anti-submarine aircraft operated by the Russian navy, based on Russia’s Tu-95 strategic bomber platform, which is often used for mass cruise missile attacks on Ukraine.

The Iskander operational-tactical missile system is a Russian system capable of launching ballistic missiles up to 500 kilometers.

The weapon, which can only be reliably shot down by the advanced U.S.-built Patriot system, has played a key role in attacks against Ukrainain cities and energy infrastructure.

Video: Robert “Magyar” Brovdi / Telegram

20h

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These reports of drone strikes by Ukraine in Russia indicate that Ukraine continues to remind Russians in Russia that they are not immune from the consequences of Russia’s acts of aggression against Ukraine. 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Ukrainian drones reportedly struck oil terminals in the port cities of Ust-Luga and Primorsk in Russia’s Leningrad Oblast overnight on March 27, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

The reported strikes mark the third straight night of attacks targeting oil facilities in the region.

Ukraine launched a mass overnight attack on March 25, hitting an energy terminal in the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga and a Russian military icebreaker in the port of Vyborg. While on March 26, Ukrainian forces struck the Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis (Kinef) oil refinery in the city of Kirishi, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed.

In the early hours of March 27, local residents reported hearing explosions in the area of the oil terminals, located off the Baltic Sea, as officials warned of a drone attack on the region. Photos and videos posted to social media appear to show flames emanating from the site of the attacks.

Although there was no immediate confirmation as to what was struck in the attack or the extent of the damage caused, preliminary reports indicate that a holding tank storing oil products had detonated in the attack on Ust-Luga.

The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports. Ukraine’s military has not yet commented on the reported attack.

Photo: Supernova+/Telegram.

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“The drone campaign relies on a complex operational system combining surveillance, electronic warfare, and strike capabilities. Every mission is recorded and analyzed, allowing units to adapt tactics in real time.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Since the start of winter, Ukrainian drones have killed or incapacitated at least 8,776 more Russian soldiers than Moscow has been able to replace, the commander of Ukraine’s unmanned forces said to the Economist.

Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, who leads Ukraine’s drone units, said the shift marks a potential turning point in the war, as Kyiv increasingly focuses on targeting Russian personnel rather than equipment.

December became the first month in which verified Russian losses from Ukrainian drone strikes exceeded recruitment, according to Brovdi. At peak intensity, daily losses reached nearly 400 troops — roughly the size of an assault battalion.

Ukraine’s drone units, which make up only a small fraction of the armed forces, now account for a significant share of Russian casualties. Brovdi’s own brigade claims responsibility for about one-sixth of losses, while the broader unmanned forces under his command account for more than a third.

"If a battalion has no infantry left, the Russians don’t disband it but throw desk officers to the front," Brovdi told the Economist. "They are the easiest targets, because they can’t fight."

Brovdi said Ukrainian forces deliberately prioritize enemy personnel in at least 30% of strikes, aiming to strain Russia’s ability to sustain its war effort. He compared the strategy to exhausting a resource over time.

"We need to keep milking this cow, the Russian army, for everything it’s worth, exhausting it beyond its maximum capacity," he said.

The drone campaign relies on a complex operational system combining surveillance, electronic warfare, and strike capabilities. Every mission is recorded and analyzed, allowing units to adapt tactics in real time.

“...The best drone is an ecosystem,” Brovdi said. “For one pilot to make a kill, a whole machine must work behind him.”

Photo: Nina Liashonok / Ukrinform / Future Publishing via Getty Images.

21h

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“Ukrainian drones attacked various regions across Russia overnight on March 21, resulting in fires at an oil depot in Saratov Oblast and chemical plants in Samara Oblast, according to local residents and officials.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦🛢️🔥💙💛👏🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Ukrainian drones attacked various regions across Russia overnight on March 21, resulting in fires at an oil depot in Saratov Oblast and chemical plants in Samara Oblast, according to local residents and officials.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed on March 21 that overnight, Russia intercepted 283 Ukrainian drones over Bryansk, Smolensk, Kaluga, Belgorod, Voronezh, Rostov, Volgograd, Tula, Ryazan, Kursk, Saratov, Samara, and Moscow oblasts, as well as the Republic of Tatarstan and Russian-occupied Crimea.

The cities of Saratov and Engels in Saratov Oblast and Tolyatti in Samara Oblast were also targeted in the attack. The towns host key Russian military and industrial sites that have been previously targeted in Ukrainian drone strikes, including the Saratov oil refinery and Engels-2 military airfield.

Saratov Governor Roman Busargin claimed that attacks on the regional center injured two people and damaged multiple homes. Meanwhile, residents shared images and videos on social media indicating power outages in the city.

Residents also shared footage of fires near the Saratov oil refinery, according to the Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova Plus.

Photo: Exilenova Plus / Telegram.

17h

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“Following the strikes, a tanker caught fire, and at least four piers used for loading and unloading tankers were rendered inoperable. Additionally, port buildings sustained damage.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦🛢️🔥💙💛👏🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal and an oil tanker in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai late on Nov. 1, a source at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent.

Five drone strikes were recorded, according to the SBU. Following the strikes, a tanker caught fire, and at least four piers used for loading and unloading tankers were rendered inoperable. Additionally, port buildings sustained damage.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed on Nov. 2 that the oil infrastructure of the seaport located on the Black Sea coast in the port city of Tuapse had been damaged.

The terminal in Tuapse is operated by Russia’s state oil company Rosneft. The city serves as a vital hub for Russian oil exports, with terminals and infrastructure critical to the country’s energy logistics.

Read the full report at the link in bio.

Photo: Crimean Wind/Telegram

11h

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“Ukrainian drones ‘detected and burned’ a Russian signal jamming station in occupied Luhansk Oblast, the Unmanned Systems Forces announced on Oct. 6.” ~ @kyivindependent_official 🇺🇦👏💙💛🙏🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Ukrainian drones “detected and burned” a Russian signal jamming station in occupied Luhansk Oblast, the Unmanned Systems Forces announced on Oct. 6.

“Recently, in Luhansk Oblast, fighters of the 412th Nemesis Regiment, in cooperation with the aerial reconnaissance of one of the (State Border Guard’s) units, detected and burned exactly such a rare specimen,” the announcement read.

“Zhytyel is a complex and multifunctional system. According to technical specifications, it can jam ground radio communications up to 25 kilometers, (and) communications on aerial vehicles up to 50 kilometers,” the Unmanned Systems Forces said.

The signal jamming station is capable of locating sources of radio emissions, determining their coordinates, and interfering with satellite communications, GPS signals, and mobile networks.

Photo: Unmanned Systems Forces/Telegram

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