Ukrainian drones control airspace over Russian logistic routes in occupied Luhansk Oblast, 3rd Army Corps says
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Ukrainian drones have gained control over key Russian military supply routes in occupied parts of Luhansk Oblast, the Third Army Corps said on May 31 on Facebook.
"Luhansk Oblast is now under the control of drones from the Third Army Corps!" the statement read.
The development comes after pro-Russian media, citing Russia's Defense Ministry, claimed in April 2026 that Luhansk Oblast — parts of which have been contested since 2014 — had been fully occupied by Russian forces. The Third Army Corps later rejected those claims.
The corps commander, Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi, announced on May 31 the launch of an operation in Luhansk Oblast and in Ukrainian ethnic territories historically known as Eastern Sloboda Ukraine, partially located in Russia's Kursk, Voronezh, and Belgorod regions.
"Luhansk, Starobilsk, Alchevsk, Brianka, and Kadiivka are now under the control of the Third Army Corps' unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)," Biletskyi said.
Ukrainian drones reached the Izvaryne checkpoint during one of its operations, more than 205 kilometers (127 miles) inside Russian-controlled territory in Luhansk Oblast, according to the Third Army Corps.
The operation was planned and led by the commander of a strike UAV platoon — a native of Luhansk Oblast with the call sign "Skhid" ("East" in English) — and targeted Russian armored vehicles and ammunition depots, the corps said.
The strikes are part of Ukraine's expanding middle strike campaign, targeting assets at the operational depth — roughly 20 to 300 kilometers (10 to 185 miles) from the front line. The campaign focuses on air defense systems, command posts, fuel and ammunition depots and logistics vehicles.
Within this broader effort, Ukraine's Air Force carried out a strike on Russian military infrastructure in occupied Luhansk Oblast on May 25, using Storm Shadow missiles, the General Staff said.
