Air War in Ukraine
A pair of Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets during the takeoff.
Disaster in Tuapse
Text: Miro Barič
April was the second consecutive month in which Russia lost more territory than it gained. Ukrainian gains amounted to only a few dozen square kilometers, but they still exceeded Russian advances. This was especially true in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Ukrainian forces cleared several villages during the reporting period (April 1–30).
A major factor was Ukraine’s current drone superiority, which is destroying Russian logistics up to 150–200 km from the front line. Russian units are suffering losses before they even reach the battlefield, and their supply lines are increasingly inadequate. In addition, long-range drone strikes continue to target strategic sites deep inside Russian territory.
As early as Thursday, April 2, Ukrainian drones struck several targets at the Kirovske air base in occupied Crimea. The attack was carried out by the 1st Separate Center of Unmanned Systems Forces in cooperation with the 9th Department of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR). Ukrainian-made FP-2 drones with a range of 200 km were used carrying explosive warheads weighing 60–100 kg.
A destroyed An-72 transport jet was among the targets, although it had been out of service and parked at the site for at least 20 years. According to The Military Watch, it was a specialized An-72PS version built as a one-off aircraft intended for maritime search-and-rescue operations. The aircraft had serial number 36572080775 and originally carried the Soviet registration CCCP-71052. It later received the Ukrainian tail number “Blue 15.” By the time Russian forces occupied Crimea in 2014, it had already been retired.
A much more significant success of the Kirovske attack was the destruction of three hangars used by Russia for Orion drone operations. These drones have an endurance of 24 hours and can operate up to 300 km inside enemy territory. They are used either for reconnaissance or in a combat role, carrying up to 250 kg of missiles and bombs.
The very next day, Friday, April 3, Russian aviation suffered a loss in an accident. This also occurred in Crimea and involved a naval aviation Su-30SM fighter jet. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the aircraft was on a training flight and carried no weapons. Both crew members ejected safely. Unofficial Russian sources reported that an engine fire broke out during the flight and efforts to extinguish it failed. The uncontrolled aircraft reportedly crashed into a house in the village of Heroiske.
During the night of April 3–4, Ukrainian drones launched a large-scale attack against Russian military infrastructure in the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions and in Crimea, where an S-400 radar in Feodosia was hit. Over the previous ten months, nearly 500 components of Russia’s air defense network had reportedly been struck. Importantly, this attack also hit two Russian Shahed/Geran drone bases and launch sites—one in Russia’s Bryansk region (the village of Navlya) and another in Russia’s Kursk region (Khalino airfield).
Strikes on Ships
Ukraine also continued its air-drone attacks against Russian ships at anchor. Unlike naval drones or Storm Shadow missiles, aerial drones generally do not carry enough explosives to sink large vessels. However, they can damage sensitive areas such as bridges and electronic systems, putting ships out of service until repairs are completed.
On Monday, April 6, a strike against the frigate Admiral Grigorovich was reported. The ship was docked in the port of Novorossiysk. This is an important vessel capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles. The same attack reportedly hit an oil terminal and an offshore drilling platform as well.
During the night of April 6–7, a ferry in the port of Kerch was damaged. This formed part of a broader campaign aimed at cutting Crimea off the supply lines. The land route to the peninsula is now fully within range of Ukrainian drones, which are destroying Russian logistics all the way to Mariupol. This has led to shortages of fuel and other goods in Crimea. Disabling ferries leaves the Kerch Bridge as the only remaining supply route, and it too has been struck multiple times in the past.
On Saturday, April 18, Ukrainian intelligence announced that several ships had been hit overnight in the port of Sevastopol. Among them were reportedly the landing ships Yamal and Azov, as well as a warship of an unidentified type. A communications system and several coastal radars were also destroyed.
Another attack followed the next night, April 19. In total, five ships were reportedly hit in Sevastopol. At least two strikes were confirmed by video footage, while satellite imagery suggested additional damage.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported another drone attack on Sevastopol on Sunday, April 26. Three ships were targeted, two of which had already been damaged in previous attacks. At the same time, Belbek Air Base was targeted, with reported damage to infrastructure, radar systems, air defenses, and possibly a MiG-31 fighter. However, the strike on the aircraft was not confirmed.
Footage released by Ukrainian special forces on Wednesday, April 29, confirmed an airstrike against a Russian Iskander missile storage facility at the Ovrazhki base, approximately 40 km from Simferopol in occupied Crimea.
The final confirmed strike during the reporting period also occurred on April 29. At the forward field base of Babki in Russia’s Voronezh region, Ukrainian drones targeted two helicopters: a Mi-28 with the tail number “Yellow 07” and a Mi-8 with the number “Red 60.” Both helicopters were severely damaged. At the moment of impact, repairs were reportedly being carried out on the Mi-8, and a mechanic was standing near the engine on the left side. Nothing is known about his fate, but since the explosion occurred exactly where he was standing, he most likely did not survive.
An-72PS with serial number 36572080775 had remained retired and stationary in the same location for about 20 years.
The existence of the An-72PS at Kirovske Air Base was ended by a Ukrainian drone.
Three hangars used in Russian Orion drone operations were also destroyed at Kirovske Air Base.
Attack on the Russian Mi-8 helicopter with the tail number “Red 60” at the Babki field airstrip.
At the moment of the attack, a mechanic was working on the helicopter’s engine.
Explosion of the Mi-8 helicopter with the tail number “Red 60.”
A Mi-28 helicopter with the tail number “Yellow 07” was also targeted in the attack at the Babki field airstrip.
Refineries On Fire
This chronological overview of Ukrainian drone attacks excludes strikes on oil refineries. Several were hit, but the attacks on Tuapse deserve special attention. This port on Russia’s Black Sea coast contains an important refinery and oil export terminal. Tuapse had been targeted by Ukrainian drones before, but never on the scale seen during the reporting period.
The first attack came on Thursday, April 16, causing a major fire that engulfed fuel tanks and port infrastructure. The refinery was forced to halt operations completely, and the fire was not extinguished for three days.
A second attack followed on Monday, April 20, causing even greater damage and larger fires. Those fires were still burning when a third wave of strikes arrived on Tuesday, April 28. Tuapse continued to burn after the reporting period ended, and attacks reportedly continued.
Beyond the economic damage inflicted on Russia’s war effort, which relies heavily on oil exports, the attacks also caused an environmental disaster. The burning refinery resembled a volcanic eruption. Thick smoke made breathing difficult throughout the city, while droplets of oil reportedly fell from the sky and covered everything.
Local authorities attempted to downplay the situation. Schools were closed and children were told to stay home, but adults were still expected to go to work. A full state of emergency covering the entire municipal district was declared only after the third attack. Russian officials even claimed that the situation was part of a Ukrainian psychological operation, alleging that Ukrainian drones were dropping flammable tanks to create dramatic images of smoke and fire.
In the end of April the Tuapse refinery was hit three times within a span of a few days.
The Tuapse refinery supplied a significant amount of fuel to the Russian armed forces. After the attacks, fires raged there almost continuously for two weeks, and operations were suspended.
The Commander of Ukraine’s Drone Forces
At the time of the attacks on Tuapse, Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces and better known by the nickname “Magyar,” gave an interview to the BBC.
“1,500 to 2,000 kilometers deep inside Russian territory is no longer a safe rear area,” Brovdi said. He expressed no sympathy for the residents of Tuapse.
“If oil refineries are a tool for generating money to finance the war, then they are legitimate military targets and must be destroyed,” said the Ukrainian commander, who comes from the Zakarpattia region and is of Hungarian ethnicity.
However, his focus is not limited to long-range strategic strikes. He is equally concerned with reducing Russia’s advantage in manpower. Brovdi has reportedly issued a direct order to his subordinates: kill more Russian soldiers each month than the Kremlin can recruit.
That figure is approximately 30,000 per month.
“Thirty percent of all drone strikes each month must be directed against military personnel. You can call it a killing plan, yes—and we are exceeding it,” Brovdi told the BBC, adding that the target had been met for four consecutive months.
Every claimed strike must be supported by video evidence. If there is no video, the claim is not counted.
According to the BBC, these are brutal statements, but Brovdi expresses no regret. In his view, Russian soldiers are far beyond their own borders because Putin sent them there to destroy the Ukrainian nation.
“If we do not kill them, they will kill us,” Brovdi said.
At the same time, he emphasized that he has no illusions about launching major counteroffensives or rapidly reclaiming large areas of territory. His goal is to contain Russian forces.
“We have an effective weapon: not to wage an offensive war, but to prevent the enemy from advancing effectively on our territory,” he said.
Brovdi hopes that high Russian losses, combined with major fires and destruction inside Russia, will gradually undermine Russian morale.
His Unmanned Systems Forces currently account for only 2 percent of Ukraine’s armed forces, yet they are reportedly responsible for one-third of all destroyed Russian targets. Their own losses, meanwhile, are said to be less than 1 percent annually.
Final Note
During the reporting period, the Ukrainian Air Force did not suffer any known losses.
A Ukrainian anti-aircraft gun displaying symbols representing confirmed kills.
A series of images released by the Ukraine’s 114th Tactical Aviation Brigade.
Training of the Ukrainian pilots on Mirage 2000 fighter jets is still ongoing in France.
We have written several times before about the An-28 aircraft modified for hunting Russian drones. A new series of images has now been released, showing the aircraft in greater detail.
The tail number remains obscured, but several markings are visible, including a rabbit painted on one vertical stabilizer and enraged wolves on the other. Also visible are hardpoints for drone-interceptor systems under the wings, a Minigun mounted in the side door, and an electro-optical system beneath the aircraft’s nose.
In the latest photographs, the An-28 is marked with 213 confirmed kills on the side of its fuselage. The success of this aircraft has led Poland to modify its own M28 Skytruck aircraft—derived from the An-28 design—for the counter-drone operations.