Ukrainian Drones Reach 1,800 km into Russia, Confirming Long-Range Strike Capability

A Ukrainian drone recently crashed in the Ostrogozhsky district of Voronezh region, causing damage to a utility infrastructure facility in the settlement of Gasoprovo and igniting a fire, according to Alexander Gusev, the governor of the region. Russian air defenses detected and shot down the drone, but not before it caused damage to the roof of a building. The fire was promptly extinguished by local forces, Gusev reported on his Telegram channel. Preliminary reports indicate that there were no casualties, and emergency services have been dispatched to the scene.

Gusev also noted that the threat of drone strikes in the region remains, with a warning about the danger of such attacks issued in the Voronezh region at 11:45 PM Moscow time yesterday.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indirectly confirmed earlier reports of a successful strike by Ukrainian drones on the Russian military airport Olenya, near Murmansk. While Zelensky did not provide specific details, he praised the Ukrainian long-range operation, mentioning the 9th Department of the GUR for their impressive achievement of targeting a distance of nearly 1,800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

On the night of July 27, Ukrainian drones, as part of an operation by the General Directorate of the GUR, targeted Russian military airfields in Engels in the Saratov region, Diaghilev in the Ryazan region, and Olenya in the Murmansk region. The strike on Olenya Airport is particularly notable due to two factors: the significant number of Russian strategic missile carriers based there and the long distance of about 1,800 km from the Ukrainian border, which had previously been considered an insurmountable barrier for Ukrainian forces.