Ukraine's defense forces have completed an operation on the southern axis under the codename «Schwarzer Vogel» ("Black Bird"), during which the main power supply sources of the Russian troops were hit and destroyed. This was reported on September 20, 2026, by RBC-Ukraine, citing an official statement from the 422nd Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment LUFTWAFFE. According to Ukrainian defenders, the operation is in its final stage, and the "aggressor's active capability along the sector has been significantly reduced."
Strike targets: gas infrastructure and repair facilities
As explained by the 422nd LUFTWAFFE Regiment, Russian military forces on the southern axis were forced to switch to gas generation due to a shortage of liquid fuel — gasoline and diesel. To ensure an uninterrupted supply of energy to repair and other facilities, the occupiers laid separate gas pipelines, which were disguised to the civilian population of the occupied territories as "preventive maintenance." Ukrainian military personnel had been monitoring this infrastructure for a long time and, according to them, decided to carry out a targeted strike operation.
Results: all main energy sources hit
The LUFTWAFFE Regiment's statement emphasizes that as a result of the "Black Bird" operation, all main sources of energy supply for the occupation formations were hit or destroyed. This, according to Ukrainian defenders, led to a significant reduction in the active capability of Russian troops in this sector of the front. It is separately noted that no civilians were harmed during the operation.
Context: parallel AFU operations
The "Black Bird" operation took place against the backdrop of other active actions by the defense forces. Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported new results of the "Vivaldi" operation, during which the AFU liberated several settlements in the north of Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian military personnel also drove Russian fighters out of the settlement of Serednie without any losses. Thus, strikes on the enemy's logistical and energy infrastructure in the south complement the offensive actions on the eastern axis.
Contradictory data
No direct discrepancies in figures and dates were found between the provided sources: RBC-Ukraine and Censor.net are relaying the same statement from the 422nd LUFTWAFFE Regiment. At the same time, it should be noted that all the results listed — the destruction of "all main" energy sources, the absence of civilian casualties — are a self-report by the unit that directly carried out the operation. Independent verification of the scale of the damage has not been provided by any of the cited publications to date. The Censor.net source (ID 3) additionally mentions the striking of a railway bridge and an energy facility, which expands the picture of the strike targets beyond exclusively gas lines, but does not contradict the main text of the statement.
