Russia Reportedly Pushes Drone Launch Sites Closer to Ukraine, Cutting Strike Time to 20 Minutes

Russian forces have set up a new launch site for strike drones near the village of Asovytsia in Russia’s Bryansk region, according to Militarnyi, citing monitoring data from the Telegram channel “eRadar,” on January 5.

The newly identified site is located roughly 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) from Ukraine’s border and was already used to launch drones toward Ukrainian territory overnight from January 4 to January 5.

Analysts say the location significantly shortens flight time, allowing drones to reach Ukrainian airspace in as little as 20 minutes, while also enabling low-altitude routes along the border toward Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

Information about Russia expanding its drone-launch infrastructure first emerged in October 2025, when monitoring groups detected at least five new UAV launch locations across occupied Ukrainian territory and inside Russia.

Previously identified sites include:

• Balaklava training ground and Kacha airfield in temporarily occupied Crimea;

• Shakhty airfield in Russia’s Rostov region;

• Makiivka training ground in the temporarily occupied Donetsk region;

• Asovytsia training ground in the Bryansk region, where construction has been ongoing.

According to analysts, the expansion is aimed at diversifying launch directions to probe for weaknesses in Ukraine’s air defense network.

In addition to newly built facilities, Russia continues to rely on long-established launch sites. The largest known suicide drone hub is located near the settlement of Tsymbulovo in Russia’s Oryol region.

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That site features eight permanent launch pads along with an extended roadway used for mobile drone launches, making it the most developed UAV deployment hub identified so far.

Another drone site in the Bryansk region, near the town of Navlya, includes multiple storage bunkers and garages for UAVs. The location sits approximately 70–75 kilometers from Ukraine’s border and was expanded by Russian forces in December 2025, according to monitoring data.

Russia has also adapted Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield in Krasnodar Krai and the Donetsk airport for drone launches. Ukrainian Armed Forces have previously struck the Donetsk airport after construction activity was detected there.

Earlier, following the report detailing the destruction of a Russian Shahed drone hub at the occupied Donetsk airport, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) released additional information about the scale and objectives of the operation.

According to the SSO, the facility contained approximately 1,000 Shahed-type drones, components for their assembly, and pre-launch equipment.

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