**Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Agency Claims Success in Drone Strikes Against Russian Air Defense Assets**
In a bold move, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) has released video footage showing drones striking multiple Russian air defense assets and a fighter jet in occupied Crimea. The strikes were carried out as part of a special operation by HUR’s special forces.
The undated footage shows the combat use of UJ-26 drones, commonly known as Bober (Beavers), targeting high-value Russian military systems. In a statement, HUR described the drones as “reliable weapons” that are effectively “gnawing through” Russia’s expensive air defense systems like “barberries.”
**A Blow to Russia’s Military Capabilities**
The released footage shows that the strikes destroyed or severely damaged several Russian military assets, including a Pantsir-S1 air defense system and its crew, a Niobium-SV radar, a Pechora-3 coastal radar, a Protivnik-GE radar, and a Su-30 fighter jet stationed at the Saky airfield in occupied Crimea. While the Kyiv Independent could not verify HUR’s claims, the strikes are part of Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to degrade Russian military capabilities in Crimea.
**Ukraine’s Drone Strikes: A Growing Threat to Russia**
The strikes are just one example of Ukraine’s growing use of drone systems to target Russian military assets on the front line and deep inside the Russian rear. Moscow has reported Ukrainian drone strikes against the peninsula earlier on July 1, with the Crimean Wind Telegram channel reporting attacks in the vicinity of S-300/S-400 air defense systems.
**A Turning Point in Ukraine’s War Against Russia?**
While it is difficult to say whether these drone strikes will be a turning point in Ukraine’s war against Russia, they are undoubtedly a significant blow to Moscow’s military capabilities. As HUR noted, these reliable weapons are “turning critically important Russian targets into useless scrap.” If Ukraine can continue to successfully deploy its drones and target key Russian military assets, it could potentially shift the balance of power on the battlefield.
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