Ukraine strikes 2 Russian fighters, air defense assets in Krasnodar Krai, drone commander says
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Ukrainian drones have struck two Russian fighter jets, a large missile-carrying drone, high-value radars, and other air defense assets, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Magyar" Brovdi said on Aug. 23.
The two jets, a Su-33 and a Mig-29, as well as a large Orion strike drone, were hit at the Vityazevo airfield in Russia's southern region of Krasnodar Krai, Brovdi said.
The Orion is a large Russian unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Russia before the full-scale invasion and similar in class to the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB-2 operated by Ukraine.
On a battlefield dense with enemy air defense assets and interceptor drones on both sides, drones the Orion and TB-2 have been largely rendered useless.
Over 2026, Russia adapted the Orion for a new role: launching the cheap Banderol cruise missile, now regularly used against Ukraine's Black Sea port infrastructure.
All three strikes, videos of which were shared on Brovdi's Telegram channel, were carried out by the 1st Center of the Unmanned Systems Forces, which specializes in long-range strikes.
Other targets included S-400, Pantsir, and Tor air defense systems, as well as eight high-value radars in Krasnodar Krai, Rostov Oblast, and Russian-occupied Crimea.
