[76528] Extensive drone attack on strategic targets in Russia and Crimea

Extensive drone attack on strategic targets in Russia and Crimea

On the night of May 29-30, 2026, the Defense Forces of Ukraine launched a large-scale drone operation against a series of military and infrastructure targets deep in the Russian rear. According to the Command of the Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), at least 23 military targets were destroyed, including an "Iskander" missile launcher and two "Tupolev Tu-142" heavy bombers at a military airfield near Taganrog.

General Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of the SBS forces, emphasized that the operation was carried out in coordination with the new Deep Strike Center. According to him, besides the aerial equipment, several key oil facilities were attacked, including a "shadow fleet" oil tanker at the port of Taganrog, the "Kurgannefteprodukt" fuel terminal in Rostov, and an oil terminal in Feodosia in occupied Crimea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attacks and emphasized that this involves a strike on an oil infrastructure facility in the city of Armavir in the Krasnodar region, about 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Zelensky stated: "It is completely fair that we return the war there, from where it came."

Conversely, the Russian Ministry of Defense, reported via "Operational Armed Forces of Ukraine", claimed that air defense systems intercepted 127 drones during the night. However, local authorities in Taganrog confirmed that fires broke out at a fuel tanker, a fuel reservoir, and an administration building at the port, while reporting injuries among the local population.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published a detailed summary of the operations, noting that beyond the oil facilities in Taganrog and Feodosia, drone warehouses in the Kharkiv region and maintenance points for FSB border guard boats in Crimea were attacked. The data points to a systematic campaign aimed at disrupting Russian military logistics in the rear.