UAF Unmanned Systems Forces claim strikes on Su-33, MiG-29 and Orion drone in southern Russian regions

The commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Robert "Mydyar" Brovdi, reported the results of a nighttime strike operation by Ukrainian drones. According to his data, published on Telegram and relayed by RBC-Ukraine, Ukrainian drones hit three units of Russian aircraft: an Su-33 and a MiG-29 fighter, as well as an Orion strike-reconnaissance drone. At the same time, he said, air defense assets were also hit: eight radar station complexes, an S-400 battalion position in Gelendzhik, and two surface-to-air missile systems / self-propelled air defense guns.

Geography of the strikes and target balance

Brovdi broke down the results by region: of the 14 claimed targets, 11, in his assessment, were "effectively engaged" in the Rostov and Krasnodar regions of the Russian Federation, and a further three in occupied Crimea. Thus, the strikes were concentrated mainly in the border and Black Sea regions, where, as a rule, the aviation and air defense units supporting operations at the front and in the airspace over the Black Sea are deployed.

Strikes in Crimea and on the coast

In the context of the operations on August 22 and the night of August 23, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, according to Ukrainian data, hit a launch and storage site for unmanned surface vessels (USVs) in the Chornomorske district and on the territory of occupied Crimea, as well as a ground relay station for controlling strike UAVs of the "Geran" and "Herber" types. A separate target was the "ST-68" radar station in Yevpatoria. In parallel, according to video reports distributed by Ukrainian media, USF drones attacked the port in Berdyansk and the airfield in Yeysk, where, according to command statements, a ship, an amphibious aircraft, and a Ka-27 helicopter were hit.

Incident in Orenburg

In addition to military targets, on the night of August 23 drones attacked a large logistics facility of the OZON company in Orenburg, which caused a fire. Following the incident, the company reportedly evacuated its workers and suspended deliveries. This episode demonstrates the expansion of the geography of drone strikes to rear logistics facilities deep inside Russian territory.

Contradictory data

There is an inconsistency between the USF commander's summary and individual video reports in the regional accounting of targets. Brovdi gives a total of 14 targets, of which 11 fall on the Rostov and Krasnodar regions and three on Crimea. At the same time, the distributed videos (in particular, the materials devoted to Berdyansk and Yeysk) feature facilities in the Zaporizhzhia region (Berdyansk), which clearly do not fit into the stated "Rostov/Krasnodar/Crimea" breakdown. Yeysk, conversely, belongs to the Krasnodar Krai and fits this logic. Thus, the exact list and geography of the hit targets may differ according to the versions of the parties and across different report releases; independent verification of each hit under combat conditions is currently impossible.

The Russian side, as of the time of preparing this material, had not published official confirmations of the loss of the aforementioned aircraft, the Orion drone, and the listed air defense complexes. All of the losses listed are statements by the Ukrainian command and are reflected in Ukrainian media materials citing Robert "Mydyar" Brovdi's Telegram.