Ukraine Situation Report: Shadowy Long-Range Kamikaze Drone Strikes Again
Ukraine's shadow offensive on strategic Russian targets well behind the front lines appears to be just heating up. The mysterious, 'available on Alibaba,' converted long-range suicide drone was seen in action for the second time today, this time making an attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, Crimea. The twin-tail-boom fixed-wing drone was spotted overhead just before a plume rose from the fleet's headquarters. It appears the drone impacted a roofline, damaging it, but there is no word on casualties, at least according to Russian officials.
This is the second confirmed drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet's headquarters in just three weeks. In our coverage of the last attack, we noted it seemed very likely that the operation was just a harbinger of what was to come. That proved all too accurate as targets in Crimea have since come under repeated attack, including a very successful operation against Russian Navy tactical jets at Saki Airbase. Even just the day before yesterday, Russia claimed to shoot down a drone at nearby Belbek Airbase after claims began to emerge of more explosions there. Satellite imagery proved that the base was left untouched. Other targets in Crimea have included large ammunition stockpiles, meanwhile similar targets continue to mysteriously go up in flames in border areas of Russia proper. You can read our recent report on this reality here.
The most important thing about this latest strike on the seat of the Black Sea Fleet is the weapon used. It serves as a confirmation that Ukraine is indeed employing improvised long-range suicide drones against strategic targets just as it did in a successful strike on an oil complex in Novoshakhtinsk, well beyond the border between Russia and Ukraine, last June.
We profiled the system used and its origins in our initial piece on that strike. Basically, it's a Chinese-built fixed-wing unmanned aircraft that can carry a relatively sizeable payload over long distances, essentially turning it into a slow cruise missile. The War Zone has been warning about just such weapons and their extremely low barrier to entry for many years. Now it is clear that Ukraine, prompted by necessity, has turned these off-the-shelf drones that can be bought for between $5,000 and $10,000 and turned into something between an improvised precision-guided missile and a vengeance weapon of sorts.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukraine-situation-report-shadowy-long-range-kamikaze-drone-strikes-again/ar-AA10T4Pl