Ukraine strikes Russian fuel train, confirms damage to multimillion-dollar Orion drones in occupied regions

Ukrainian forces struck a rail convoy carrying fuel to the Russian military in occupied Luhansk on April 3 and overnight on April 4, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.

The military also shared the latest updates on a recent Ukrainian strike against an Orion drone base at the Kirovske airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Ukraine hit Russian fuel trains near the villages of Stanytsia Luhanska and Shchotove in occupied Luhansk Oblast in attacks on April 3 and the night of April 4, the General Staff said. The convoys supply occupying Russian forces in the region.

"The damage to these objects complicates the provision of fuel and lubricants to the occupying army of the Russian aggressor," the military said.

Ukrainian forces have previously reported attacks on Russian fuel trains in occupied territories as part of its attempt to disrupt Russian logistics and supply lines. Pro-Ukrainian partisan groups also frequently target Russian rail equipment in sabotage operations.

The General Staff also confirmed results of an April 2 attack on the Kirovske airfield in occupied Crimea.

Previously, the military reported that an elite drone unit of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) and Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) carried out a join strike on multiple Russian military assets at the airfield, destroying a Russian An-72P patrol aircraft and a base for Orion strike and reconnaissance drones.

In their April 4 update, the General Staff reported that the strike completely destroyed one Orion drone system and damaged three others, resulting in several million dollars worth of damage.

Russia's Orion drone, a massive strike and reconnaissance UAV primarily used to patrol the high seas, can carry up to 200 kilograms of explosives. The drone's design serves as an approximate equivalent to the U.S. Reaper drone, with production costs estimated at upwards of $5 million.

The drone has a range of 250 kilometers (around 155 miles) and can stay in the air for up to 24 hours, flying at an altitude of up to 7.5 kilometers (4.6 miles), according to the General Staff.

The Orion was set to be Russia’s flagship unmanned vehicle until that position was usurped by the Iranian-designed Shaheds.

Kirovske airfield is regularly used to launch attacks against Ukrainian cities — and has been targeted in multiple Ukrainian strikes. Ukraine carries out ongoing strikes on military infrastructure in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories in an effort to degrade Moscow's firepower.

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The Kyiv IndependentAlex McDonald