Five Legendary Special Operations by the Security Service of Ukraine: From Artillery Raids to Landings and Drones

The SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) is Ukraine's most well-known intelligence agency, responsible for a broad spectrum of operations, from counterintelligence and counterterrorism to information security and direct combat operations. 

Fighters from SBU have already destroyed Russian armored vehicles worth several billion dollars, including more than 1,700 tanks. However, the SBU’s trump card is its secret operations that influence the entire course of combat. 

“SBU fighters have mastered drone technologies to perfection,” SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk said. “With our drones, we strike Russian warships in the Black Sea, turn enemy tanks into scrap metal, cause ‘earthquakes’ at ammunition depots, and shoot down combat helicopters. Our priority is to destroy as many enemies as possible and liberate our land. Ukrainians have done this many times before — only changing Cossack sabers for modern weapons and FPV drones. We have a strong genetic memory, fueled by a thirst for freedom and hatred for Russian occupants. And also — a desire to avenge our fallen brothers-in-arms and give future generations a lifelong ‘vaccination’ against Moskovites.”

Here are five legendary special operations, the details of which are at least partly known.

An artillery raid when it all began

At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kyiv was the primary target for Russian forces. The rear command post for their troops advancing on the Ukrainian capital was located in the settlement of Poliske. At that time, this area was a deep rear for the Russians, and they stored a large amount of equipment, ammunition, and fuel there.

"A large number of helicopters guarding columns and escorting vehicles—these were the signs that senior Russian military officers were traveling in these vehicles,” recounted an SBU brigadier general with the call sign “Hunter.” “We identified where these vehicles constantly headed, where they stopped, and where they stayed overnight. Satellite image analysis showed radio stations and satellite communication systems deployed at this site. I am a hunter with years of experience; I needed to find the lair of these beasts.”

And they found it—and then devised a daring operation, combining seemingly incompatible elements.

Special forces decided to secretly deliver artillery into the grey zone, right up to Russian positions. Until then, there had been no cases in world history where heavy towed 152-mm cannons had been used in sabotage raids—that simply wasn’t their function. According to all regulations, artillery is used no closer than 5 km from the front line, but here, it needed to be taken beyond the line of engagement.

However, the March 2022 operation was successful. Russia’s command post was destroyed, along with 48 pieces of equipment, several armored vehicles, command post vehicles, and more than 45 ammunition-laden trucks.

Soon after, this and other defeats forced the Russians to flee Kyiv and the entire north of Ukraine.

Liberation of Snake Island

The strategically vital island in the Black Sea was occupied by the Russians on the first day of the full-scale invasion. But despite Russia’s dominance at sea, Ukrainians immediately began planning its liberation.

On April 13, 2022, the Ukrainian Neptune missile system struck the Russian fleet's flagship, the missile cruiser Moskva. This greatly weakened the island’s defenses, and Ukraine began attacking it with aviation and artillery. Still, the Russians continually reinforced Snake Island with new equipment and personnel.

In June 2022, special forces from the SBU’s "Alpha" Special Operations Center, together with fighters from Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) and Navy, carried out a unique operation. Several assault groups were delivered to the island by helicopters flying at extremely low altitudes. Russia immediately opened heavy fire, and the special forces had to move across what was essentially a minefield. 

The Russians attempted to activate their minefield detonation system. If they had succeeded, the landing force could have been wiped out instantly. But the Ukrainians intercepted the demolition teams and pressed on. Eventually, the island was cleared. On June 30, the remaining Russian troops fled Snake Island.

Defeating Russia’s Black Sea Fleet

The Russian Black Sea Fleet outnumbered Ukraine’s naval forces 12 to 1. It included six large ships, including a flagship missile cruiser, six submarines, 36 other vessels, support ships, aviation, and marines. But the SBU figured out what to do with all of it.

Marine drones were first tested in mid-2022. Soon, Sea Baby and Mamai drones altered the balance of power in the Black Sea, damaging or destroying around a dozen Russian ships and pushing what remained of the fleet away from Ukraine.

What began as suicide drones have now evolved into multipurpose platforms equipped with heavy machine guns with ballistic targeting software, multiple launch rocket systems, naval mines, and aerial drones. In December 2024, Russia experienced them firsthand.

Several Russian helicopters were deployed to counter SBU drones. But instead of easily destroying the targets, the Russians became the prey—the marine drones returned fire. Intercepted communications indicated that Russian aviation suffered serious personnel and equipment losses. SBU drones also hit a barge carrying military equipment and supplies for repairs to the Crimean Bridge.

Incidentally, the drones involved in this mission were funded through a joint crowdfunding effort with UNITED24. Former UK Royal Navy frigate captain Tom Sharpe commented: "Ukraine has won a massive naval victory without having a navy."

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The most protected target in the world

The Russians claimed the Crimean Bridge was the most protected piece of infrastructure in the world. They spent over a billion dollars securing it.

Yet, on the morning of October 8, 2022, a truck exploded on the bridge’s roadway. The blast was so powerful that it destroyed two sections of the road surface, and seven fuel tanks on a nearby railway caught fire.

Later, the SBU revealed that the truck carried homemade explosives and a mixture of RDX, equivalent to 21 tons of TNT. It was hidden in rolls of film to evade detection by customs scanners. The SBU also devised a way to trick Russian electronic warfare stations near the bridge so they couldn’t jam the GPS signal on the explosives.

The explosions happened right after the Russian president’s birthday.

The most protected target in the world— breached again

After the October 2022 attack, it took Russia more than eight months to repair the bridge. Meanwhile, the SBU continued working.

One day, SBU Chief Vasyl Maliuk handed the already familiar brigadier general Hunter a document titled "Construction of the Transport Passage Across the Kerch Strait." It contained all the data on the Crimean Bridge, including its construction, components, and structures.

"Where he got it, I can only guess,” Hunter said. “The design documentation for a tank, a missile, an aircraft—it is classified by itself. Not to mention such a strategic object as the Crimean Bridge. But we found everything we needed to understand how to destroy it.”

And they did.

On July 16, 2023, SBU operators launched five Sea Baby drones, each carrying nearly a ton of explosives. A separate team monitored the weather, waves, currents, civilian and military ship movements, and Russian aviation—everything that could affect the mission’s success.

For more than 20 hours, the drones traveled toward the bridge. Along the way, the Russians detected them and scrambled aircraft, but the Sea Baby drones hid among the waves and escaped.

Eventually, three drones ran out of fuel and self-destructed. But two drones rammed the Crimean Bridge’s pillars, destroying one section and severely damaging another. Once again, this severed the critical logistics artery supplying Russian forces in southern Ukraine.

"This special operation effectively saved thousands of Ukrainian lives," concluded SBU spokesperson Artem Dekhtiarenko.