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Ukrainian Drones Blow Up Russian Ammo Depot and Cut Power to Temporarily Occupied Donbas
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukrainian drone units have struck multiple targets in temporarily Russian-occupied Donetsk region, including an ammunition depot and two key electrical substations, in what appears to be a coordinated precision operation by the Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), according to Ukrainian military officials.
The head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Colonel Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, confirmed on January 13 that UAV units from the 1st Separate Center and the “Kairos” Battalion of the 414th Brigade, operating in conjunction with the newly established Deep Strike Center, carried out the overnight mission on January 12–13.
Video footage released by Brovdi documents direct drone strikes on Russian logistics and energy infrastructure, including footage of explosions and fire at the targeted sites.
According to Brovdi, the operation began with a strike on the “Myrna” 330 kV electrical substation in temporarily occupied Mariupol. This substation is described as a major transmission node and an energy transit hub feeding the “Azovska” substation.
The next target was the “Azovska” substation, a 220 kV facility located in the town of Staryi Krym. Ukrainian defense officials report that this substation is critical for sustaining energy supplies to industrial operations supporting the Russian military-industrial complex in the region.
Ukrainian drone footage shows large fires at the substations, suggesting significant disruption to local power distribution. Civilian reports from Mariupol also indicated widespread power outages following the attack.
In a separate strike the same night, Ukrainian UAVs reportedly destroyed a Russian ammunition depot in the temporarily occupied city of Makiivka. According to Brovdi, the depot contained rocket and artillery munitions belonging to Russia’s 51st Army. Satellite and social media footage from local residents show large secondary explosions and fires in the area.
In addition to the depot, a technical observation post located at a fuel storage site in Makiivka was also targeted, according to official reports.
The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the strikes in its morning briefing, noting that the operations were part of a broader effort targeting Russian logistics and military installations across temporarily occupied regions.
In parallel operations, Ukraine’s defense forces also struck targets in occupied Zaporizhzhia region, including:
A Tor air defense system near Chereshneve;
A Tunguska system near Podsporye;
A P-18-2 “Prima” radar station near Lozuvatka;
Russian troop concentrations near Lyubymivka.
Further drone strikes were also confirmed in the Donetsk region, including additional attacks on ammunition stockpiles and personnel concentrations near Makiivka and an air defense system near the settlement of Sonyachne.
Earlier, on January 11, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces carried out a rare long-range drone strike on three Russian oil platforms in the Caspian Sea, targeting Lukoil’s Vladimir Filanovsky, Yuri Korchagin, and Valery Grayfer installations.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
