EASTERN UKRAINE — Soldiers from Ukraine's First Center of Unmanned Systems launched a deep-strike drone from an undisclosed location in eastern Ukraine. The unit is a Ukrainian military organization that deploys deep-strike drones.

At least nine drones were launched from the undisclosed location during the observed operation. Ukraine's military has previously used these drones to strike oil refineries and depots inside Russia, including targets in Moscow and Siberia. Ukrainian drones have also struck targets in Russian-occupied Ukraine, including the southern peninsula of Crimea.

The drones used by the unit are manufactured by Fire Point, a Ukrainian defense technology company. These Fire Point drones are capable of traveling between 800 and 1,200 miles. The Ukrainian drone strike campaign began in 2024 and expanded in 2026. On June 18, 2026, a drone offensive on Moscow by Ukraine hit an oil refinery.

The commander of the First Center of Unmanned Systems, who uses the callsign Charlie, stated that drones have influenced the course of combat operations. "Our defense forces lack cruise and ballistic missiles but our drones have really influenced the course of combat operations. And they have hit our enemy hard," Charlie said. He also noted the increased speed of operations. "Setting up these launches used to take half a day. Now everything happens so much faster. I compare it to a pit stop in a Formula 1 race." Charlie added, "There was an arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War. And now there's another arms race in this war, but it's happening much faster, and it's focused almost entirely on unmanned systems — drones that are aerial, aquatic and ground-based."

George Barros, Director of Innovation and Open-Source Tradecraft at the Institute for the Study of War, said, "Ukrainians can, on a near daily basis, launch hundreds of daily long-range strike vehicles into Russia that actually generate substantial damage and really do upset the Kremlin." Barros added, "It is an important aspect of the overall Ukrainian strategy to defend itself and end the war on terms favorable to Ukraine."

A soldier with the callsign Push launches deep-strike drones at Russian targets almost every night. Push said, "Every day we can see our work, the result of this work, and it really motivates us every day." Soldier Uki described the launch process, stating, "We need to create a high takeoff speed for the drone to fly. And this is how we do it."