Updated: Ukrainian drone strikes Russian early-warning radar, traveling record-breaking 1,800 kilometers
Editor's note: The article was updated with information gained from the satellite imagery, which was taken by Planet Labs and shared by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Schemes project later on May 27.
A long-range drone operated by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) attacked early-warning Voronezh M radar in Russia's Orsk city in Orenburg Oblast on May 26, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent on May 27.
For the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine attacked facilities in Orsk, some 1,800 kilometers (around 1,200 miles) from the drone's launch location, according to the source.
Russian media claimed on May 26 that a drone fell in the Orsk suburbs in the Novoorsk district, allegedly targeting a military facility. No damages or casualties were reported.
The military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent that the consequences of the May 26 attack are still being clarified.
Later during the day, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Schemes project published satellite imagery of the radar system after the attack.
While the low resolution of the footage does not allow to accurately assess the extent of the damage, dark spots visible on May 27 – possibly traces of fire caused by the drone strike – seem to confirm the attack.
🛰️Наслідки удару безпілотників ГУР по російській РЛС за 1800 км від кордону - супутникові фото
— Схеми (@cxemu) May 27, 2024
Джерело «Схем» (Радіо Свобода) у Головному управлінні розвідки МО України підтвердило, що в ніч на 27 травня безпілотники відомства атакували (РЛС) Воронеж-М в Оренбурзькій області РФ. pic.twitter.com/Fl2o1Zbeha
Ukraine's military intelligence also struck another Voronezh radar in the village of Glubokii in Krasnodar Krai on May 23, causing a fire at the facility, according to the source.
Voronezh radar is an early-warning equipment that provides long-distance airspace monitoring, focusing on ballistic missile attacks and aircraft. Its operational range is up to 6,000 kilometers (around 3,700 miles).
In early May, another Ukrainian long-range drone hit an oil refinery, Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat, in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan.
The drone, operated by the State Security Service (SBU), covered 1,500 kilometers (around 930 miles) to strike the target, a record-breaking distance for Ukraine at the time.
In April, Ukraine hit production facilities in Russia's Tatarstan Republic, 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the state border.
Olena Goncharova
