In a powerful act of retaliation, Ukrainian drone forces have carried out a series of deep-penetration strikes targeting Russian military units believed to be responsible for the April 13 ballistic missile attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy. That attack killed 32 civilians, including two children, and wounded dozens more. Ukrainian authorities vowed swift retribution — and appear to have delivered.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, the overnight drone assault was executed through a coordinated operation involving the Armed Forces’ newly formed Unmanned Systems Forces, the elite Special Operations Forces (SOF), and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). In total, more than 150 unmanned aerial vehicles were launched against key Russian military installations in the Kursk and Ivanovo regions.
Among the primary targets were the headquarters and deployment facilities of Russia’s 448th and 112th Missile Brigades — both of which are known operators of the Iskander-M missile system, which includes the 9M723 short-range ballistic missile allegedly used in the Sumy strike.
The first wave of drones struck the 448th Missile Brigade’s base in Klyukovka, Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian officials say loitering munitions — likely domestically developed AN-196 “Liutyi” and “Bober” kamikaze drones — were used to breach air defenses and detonate inside the facility. The resulting explosions triggered secondary ammunition blasts, causing widespread damage.
Russian military bloggers, often critical of the Kremlin’s defense posture, posted images of burning warehouses and collapsed structures. Despite Russian Ministry of Defense claims that 109 drones were intercepted, at least 31 reached their targets in Klyukovka alone.
“This is the heaviest single loss the brigade has suffered, and it could have been prevented,” one prominent Russian milblogger lamented. “The defense perimeter was not adequately reinforced, and retaliation was inevitable after Sumy.”
Ukrainian sources say initial battle damage assessments indicate significant structural losses at the base, including command and control infrastructure and stored missile components.
The second phase of the operation reportedly took place early April 16, when another fleet of drones struck a compound near Shuya in Ivanovo Oblast, believed to be the base of Russia’s 112th Rocket Brigade. While Russian authorities have yet to release an official statement, social media videos from local residents captured multiple explosions and dense plumes of smoke rising from the military facility.
The extent of the damage to the 112th Brigade is still being assessed, but Ukrainian defense sources are confident that “mission-critical assets” were hit. One intelligence source told Ukrainian media that the operation was “not symbolic, but surgical,” adding, “these were strikes against specific personnel and hardware linked to war crimes.”
The successful strikes signal a growing shift in Ukraine’s military doctrine — from reactive defense to proactive, strategic targeting deep inside Russian territory. Analysts say that Ukraine’s burgeoning drone industry, bolstered by both domestic innovation and Western support, has given Kyiv the ability to reach further and strike with greater precision than at any point in the conflict so far.
Both the “Liutyi” and “Bober” drones are designed for long-range missions and are capable of carrying significant payloads. With modular guidance systems, these drones can be pre-programmed with GPS coordinates, fly autonomously across hundreds of kilometers, and evade radar detection with low-altitude flight paths.
“The Ukrainian drone capability has reached a point where they can carry out multi-target attacks simultaneously across separate regions,” said Olena Khomenko, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic Defense Studies in Kyiv. “This was a clear message: Russia can no longer strike with impunity.”
The April 13 attack on Sumy remains one of the deadliest single strikes on a Ukrainian civilian center in recent months. According to emergency services, the Iskander missile struck a residential complex during evening hours, when families were home. Among the dead were two children, aged 6 and 10. Over 70 others sustained injuries, many critical.
The Kremlin has denied responsibility for targeting civilians, instead claiming the missile targeted a “Ukrainian command post” — a claim Ukrainian officials and international observers have firmly rejected.
“The evidence is irrefutable. This was a deliberate attack on civilian infrastructure,” said Human Rights Watch representative Andriy Tsebrovskyi. “Such actions constitute a war crime under international law.”
In the immediate aftermath of the drone strikes, Russia’s Ministry of Defense issued a statement downplaying the damage, claiming that “all UAVs were intercepted” and that no military sites were hit. However, conflicting reports on Russian Telegram channels and independent Russian media suggest otherwise.
The silence from senior Russian military leadership has only fueled speculation. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has not made a public appearance since April 15, and President Vladimir Putin’s office declined to comment when questioned by local reporters about the extent of the drone attack’s impact.
Meanwhile, state media outlets have ramped up anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, accusing Kyiv of escalating the conflict and threatening “serious consequences.” However, there has been no public confirmation of any retaliatory planning or troop redeployments in response to the strikes.
Some analysts warn that the latest developments may mark the beginning of a new phase in the war — one where both sides are more willing and capable of striking military targets beyond the traditional front lines.
“This was an escalation, but it’s also an evolution,” said Marcus Weller, a senior fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). “Ukraine is using the tools at its disposal to respond proportionally to attacks on civilians. This isn’t escalation for the sake of provocation. It’s measured, targeted warfare.”
Ukrainian officials echo that sentiment, arguing that they have both the moral and legal right to dismantle enemy infrastructure responsible for atrocities. In a televised address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the operation’s success but reiterated that Kyiv does not seek war on Russian soil — only accountability and deterrence.
“Those who kill our children, who target our homes, must know they will not sleep easy,” Zelenskyy said. “Justice for Sumy has only just begun.”
While the full strategic implications of the drone strikes are still unfolding, the psychological impact on Russian military units and civilian populations in affected regions is already palpable. Fear of additional attacks has led to the evacuation of several smaller military outposts near Kursk, according to Russian opposition media.
Satellite imagery reviewed by independent defense observers shows heightened activity at radar stations and air defense systems in western Russia — suggesting that the Kremlin is scrambling to reinforce vulnerable zones.
For Ukraine, the success of the operation has boosted morale and bolstered domestic confidence in the country’s high-tech military innovations. It also sends a clear signal to allies that Ukrainian defense forces are capable of integrating complex strike missions across multiple agencies and using indigenous hardware — a capability many feared had been lost early in the war.
The precision drone strikes on Russia’s missile brigades represent a dramatic turning point in Ukraine’s strategy to counter Russian aggression. Far from being a mere reprisal, the operation was a calibrated, high-impact mission demonstrating that Kyiv now possesses the means to punish war crimes and disrupt military logistics behind enemy lines.
