Ukrainian forces used long-range, deep-strike drones to hit a Russian missile arsenal and oil depot supporting the invasion, a security official told Business Insider on Tuesday.
The attacks mark Ukraine’s latest deep strikes as it continues to target Russian weapons and the country’s vast energy sector, a major revenue source for the state as it wages war.
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU, said that drones hit Russia’s 100th Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) in the western Kostroma region. They were only authorized to speak on the condition of anonymity to discuss military developments.
The drone attack on the facility triggered a secondary detonation of ammunition, causing powerful blasts at the facility, the source said, calling it an important target because Russia uses it to supply munitions to smaller sites in other areas of the country.
The source said drones also struck an oil depot in the nearby Lipetsk region, sparking an “intense” blaze. Video footage and images shared on social media appeared to show fire and smoke at the two facilities.
Russia’s defense ministry said on Tuesday that it shot down 360 Ukrainian drones without specifying where. Neither the ministry nor the Russian embassy in the US responded to Business Insider’s request for comment.
The SBU source said that the two drone attacks were carried out by its Alpha group, an elite “spetsnaz” unit considered to be among the best of Ukraine’s special forces.
The Alpha group regularly carries out long-range drone attacks against Russian targets, including a recent first-of-its-kind strike on a Moscow-linked oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea and the stunning June attacks against Russian airbases, known as Operation Spiderweb.
The SBU’s Alpha forces also carry out ground operations; for instance, they have participated in Ukraine’s defense of Pokrovsk, the war-torn city in the eastern Donetsk region that has been the site of some of the conflict’s most intense fighting.
“In the New Year, the SBU continues to work successfully on military and oil facilities of the Russian Federation, reducing the enemy’s ability to provide their army with ammunition and fuel,” the source said in translated remarks shared with Business Insider.
“All Russian rear facilities that work for the war against Ukraine are absolutely legitimate targets,” they added.
Since August, Ukraine has stepped up its use of long-range drones to attack Russian energy facilities in a bid to put pressure on a key source of revenue for Moscow that helps fuel its war efforts.
Ukraine has mostly targeted oil and gas infrastructure on land, such as depots and ports, but in recent weeks, it has expanded attacks to maritime targets, striking several oil tankers and oil platforms in the Black, Caspian, and Mediterranean seas.
Ukrainian officials have described the deep-strike operations as the country’s way of imposing “long-range” sanctions on Russia.
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s attack on the 100th GRAU arsenal reflects a tactic that Ukraine has long relied on — hitting ammunition storage sites inside Russia to cause more near-term battlefield impacts.
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