Ukraine launched a series of drone attacks against Russian military targets on Thursday, targeting the home base of the 112th Guards Missile Brigade in retaliation for a bloody Russian strike that killed dozens of civilians.
The Ukrainian drones, which were reportedly tail-prop robot aircraft called An-196 Liutyi, hit the Russian base in the Tula region village of Shuya, causing explosions and fires. The attacks came just 24 hours after the first wave of strikes on Wednesday, when Ukraine targeted the same base with a change in tactics.
The Russian military initially reported that all Ukrainian drones had been shot down, but social media images contradicted this claim, showing storage buildings on fire and with broken walls. The situation appears to be under control for now, with local officials canceling school attendance due to the attacks.
At least 35 Ukrainians were killed in a previous Russian strike on Sunday, which targeted a Ukrainian army ceremony at a government facility in Sumy, Ukraine. This attack was carried out using Iskander-M ballistic missiles armed with cluster munition warheads, which released hundreds of bomblets that caused widespread destruction and civilian casualties.
Ukraine’s long-range drone strike planners have mostly attacked large military infrastructure such as fuel bases and ammunition depots, but the recent strikes against the 112th Guards Missile Brigade mark a change in tactics.
Source: https://www.kyivpost.com/post/50966