Ukrainian Air Force units and Defense Forces struck drone storage facilities in Russia's western Oryol Oblast on Jan. 26, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on Facebook on Jan. 26.
The strike targeted concrete structures housing thermobaric warheads for drones, causing a significant secondary detonation.
“The results and extent of the damage are being specified, but it is preliminary known that more than 200 ‘Shaheds’ will no longer be used against our country,” the statement said.
Preliminary reports indicate that over 200 Shahed strike drones were destroyed, rendering them unusable for future attacks on Ukraine.
The statement emphasized that operations against critical facilities supporting attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure will continue.
Russia has launched thousands of cheap but effective Iranian-designed Shahed drones against Ukraine since the fall of 2022.
Shaheds and its domestic-made variants like Geran are often used for strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Shahed-136 drones' flying range, claimed by various sources, varies from 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles) to 2,500 kilometers (about 1,550 miles). They are said to weigh about 200 kilograms with a maximum flight speed of about 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour.
Western media, such as the New York Times, has reported the cost of each Shahed-136 drone to be as low as $20,000.
The Oryol region was the target of numerous Ukrainian attacks over the last month, when a drone storage, maintenance, and repair facility was destroyed on Dec. 28 and when an oil depot was hit by drones, later catching on fire, on Dec. 22.
Abbey Fenbert
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