Overview
- Russian defense officials reported widespread use of UAVs and FPV drones by “Southern” and “Eastern” groupings to hit temporary bases, bunkers, communications antennas, Starlink equipment and UAV control posts across several fronts.
- Russia’s “West” grouping said a Molniya‑2 fixed‑wing drone destroyed a Ukrainian pontoon crossing over the Oskol River in the Kupyansk district, disrupting troop rotation.
- The Defense Ministry said air defenses downed nine Ukrainian drones over Crimea and the Azov Sea on Thursday, while regional governors reported 11 more destroyed over Voronezh and four over Tula with no casualties.
- Russian units detailed localized strikes including an FPV attack that collapsed a house sheltering an infantry squad in Primorske, Zaporizhzhia region, and the “Sever” grouping’s destruction of a 2S1 Gvozdika near Kharkiv.
- Russia’s Investigative Committee announced completion of the Il‑76 case, alleging commander Nikolai Dzyaman ordered the 2024 shootdown using a Patriot system, as separate reports noted Russian Sirius‑82 surface drones in the Dnipro delta and Ukraine’s expansion of its “Achilles” drone unit to a brigade.