Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone campaign against Russia, targeting military, industrial and logistical sites far from the front line. A major logistics facility outside Moscow was still burning the morning after one of the latest waves of attacks, sending thick smoke into the sky.

The strikes are part of Kyiv’s expanding effort to take the war deep inside Russian territory, using increasingly capable drones to disrupt military infrastructure and the economy while increasing pressure on the Kremlin. The campaign has also brought the effects of the war closer to ordinary Russians, nearly four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Unit Launches Drones From Southern Ukraine

On Sunday morning, soldiers from Ukraine’s 413th “Raid” Unmanned Systems Regiment gathered in a sunflower field in southern Ukraine and prepared around 20 small aircraft-like drones loaded with explosives.

Associated Press journalists witnessed the launch, providing a rare view of a Ukrainian long-range drone operation. The drones were sent towards targets inside Russia, hundreds of miles from the launch site.

Ukraine has increasingly relied on long-range drones to strike military, industrial and logistical targets. Kyiv has also stepped up attacks using long-range missiles and drone swarms against Russia’s military industries and energy infrastructure.

Moscow Warehouse Strike Part Of Wider Campaign

The latest attacks included a strike on a Wildberries logistics facility located about 45 kilometres south of Moscow. The warehouse, described as one of Russia’s largest retail facilities, remained on fire the following morning.

The Ukrainian unit’s commander, Yevhen Karas, said his forces had participated in the attack on the facility hours before the Sunday launch. He described it as part of one of Ukraine’s biggest attacks on Russia to date.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted large Wildberries depots, with previous strikes reportedly destroying billions of dollars’ worth of goods belonging to the Russian online retailer.

Kyiv Seeks To Increase Pressure On Kremlin

Ukrainian officials have said the purpose of the long-range campaign is to make Russians experience the consequences of the war and increase domestic pressure on President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a settlement.

Putin has shown no indication that he intends to end the war. Karas said he believed the economic impact of Ukraine’s attacks was making the cost of the conflict increasingly apparent to ordinary Russians.

“The bigger casualties they have,” Karas said, the sooner Russia would seek peace. He also said Ukraine would need to punish the Kremlin “if we want to get a stable and long period of peace, and normal peace”.

Long-Range Drone Technology Expands Ukraine’s Reach

The 413th Raid regiment was initially formed to conduct reconnaissance and other battlefield missions. As drone technology improved and their operational range expanded from hundreds to more than a thousand miles, the unit began receiving missions to strike targets deep inside Russia.

The regiment now uses Ukrainian-made FP-1 drones for long-range operations. The development has allowed Ukrainian forces to target locations well beyond the immediate battlefront.

The attacks have also created challenges for Russia, forcing Moscow to distribute its air defences across a much larger area. According to the report, repeated drone strikes have disrupted airports, contributed to fuel shortages and affected morale.

Commander’s Life Changed After Russian Invasion

Karas, 38, had been a philosophy graduate before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. He and his brother, Volodymyr, volunteered for the front on the day the invasion began.

Volodymyr was later killed while defending the Kyiv region. Karas subsequently rose through the military ranks and became an officer in Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces.

In 2024, he was appointed commander of the newly created 413th Raid Unmanned Systems Regiment, which has since become involved in Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign.

From Civilian Careers To Drone Warfare

The regiment includes personnel who worked as an opera singer, computer programmer, rapper and cellist before the war. Their lives have since become centred on preparing and launching long-range drones.

The process follows a largely routine sequence. Soldiers prepare the aircraft, check its systems, move it into position and launch it before waiting for the outcome and preparing for the next mission.

The unit’s medallion features a stylised three-pronged arrow on one side. The reverse shows the Kremlin in flames with a drone flying above it, reflecting the regiment’s role in Ukraine’s long-range campaign.

Karas Warns Moscow Residents Of Drone Threat

Before the drones were launched on Sunday, Karas wrote a message on the fuselage of one aircraft using a black marker: “Moscow burns under the sky, red flame rises so warm and high, dark smoke moves above the town, fire lights the night all around.”

Karas said Moscow should increasingly fear attacks from the air, drawing a comparison with the experience of residents of Kyiv who have spent years sheltering from Russian missile and drone attacks.

“Muscovites should spend their nights in their wonderful metro, just as residents of Kyiv have spent years going underground to escape Russian missile and drone attacks,” he said.

After the drones were launched, the soldiers packed their equipment into vehicles and left the sunflower field, leaving little evidence of the operation behind. They then moved towards another launch site as Ukraine continued its campaign of repeated long-range strikes against Russia.

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