Ukrainian drones struck a major logistics hub on the outskirts of Moscow overnight; by dawn, the facility remained engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing into the sky from what had been one of Russia’s largest retail distribution centers.
Hundreds of kilometers away, Ukrainian drone operators scarcely rested after the previous night’s mission before commencing preparations for a subsequent strike.
In a southern Ukrainian sunflower field, a small infantry unit rapidly assembled roughly 20 compact explosive-laden drones before launching them toward Russian territory.
The Sunday morning launch of the Ukrainian 413th “Raid” Unmanned Systems Regiment was captured by Associated Press reporters, offering a rare insight into an increasingly prominent element of Ukraine’s combat strategy.
This represents Ukraine’s newest approach, employing long‑range drones capable of delivering the conflict deep within Russian territory, targeting military, industrial, and logistical installations far from the front lines.
Kyiv has intensified its campaign against Russia this year, utilizing both long‑range missiles and coordinated drone swarms to hit military industrial sites and energy infrastructure. The effort has also increasingly focused on large Wildberries distribution centers, destroying billions of dollars worth of goods owned by the Russian e‑commerce behemoth.
These strikes have brought the conflict directly to Russian civilians, now in the nearly 4½‑year aftermath of Moscow’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine. The expanding scope of attacks has stretched Russian air‑defense networks, disrupted civilian air traffic, triggered fuel shortages, and eroded public morale across the country.
Regiment commander Yevhen Karas noted that his unit participated in the earlier assault on the Wildberries warehouse, located approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Moscow, which formed part of one of Ukraine’s most substantial attacks on Russian soil to date.
Karas stated that Ukraine must continue to punish the Kremlin “if we are to secure a stable and lasting peace.”
He added that “the higher the casualties they inflict, the sooner they will be compelled to seek peace.”
Kyiv officials intend to make the Russian populace experience the war’s repercussions, thereby pressuring President Vladimir Putin toward negotiations. However, Putin has yet to indicate any intention to terminate the conflict.
Karas, however, contends that the economic toll of Ukraine’s long‑range strike campaign is becoming apparent to ordinary Russians, and he hopes this will push Moscow back to the negotiating table after months of stalled U.S.-mediated talks.
Before the drones took flight on Sunday morning, Karas inscribed a poetic message on the aircraft’s fuselage: “Moscow burns beneath the sky, red flames rise warm and high, dark smoke drifts above the town, fire lights the night across everything.”
Like most of Ukraine’s service members, Karas led a markedly different life prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
On that day, the 38‑year‑old philosopher, along with his brother Volodymyr, volunteered for combat. Volodymyr was killed while defending Kyiv, and in the ensuing months Karas advanced through the ranks to become an officer in Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces.
In 2024, Karas was appointed commander of the newly established 413th Raid Unmanned Systems Regiment, which originally formed as a drone reconnaissance and battlefield support unit.
As drone technology advanced and operational ranges expanded from hundreds to over a thousand miles, the unit was assigned to conduct long‑range missions using Ukraine‑produced FP‑1 drones against deep‑inside Russian targets.
The unit’s members include a former opera singer, a computer programmer, a rapper, and a cellist. Their routine now follows a straightforward sequence: prepare the drone, verify systems, position it, and launch.
After launching, they await the outcome and then repeat the process.
They then moved on to the next launch site.