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Ukraine Strikes Naval Drone Base, Buk-M3, and Long-Range Russian Radars in One Sweeping Operation, Video
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Ukrainian drone units struck a Russian base believed to house uncrewed surface vessels in temporarily occupied Crimea as part of a broader operation targeting air defenses, radar systems, strike-drone infrastructure, and maritime logistics.
Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, reported the operation on July 30.
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The Crimean strike was carried out by the 9th Kairos Battalion of the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade, known as Madyar’s Birds.
Post-strike reconnaissance footage confirmed damage to a facility near Snizhne where Russian uncrewed boats were believed to be stored. The operators also targeted radio-transparent shelters protecting radar equipment near Okhotnyche.
The wider operation extended across occupied Ukrainian territory and inside Russia.
In the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, operators from the 412th Nemesis Brigade struck a Russian P-18 radar station.
In Donetsk region, Ukraine’s Phoenix border guard unit hit a Buk-M3 air defense system while it was being transported on a trailer.
The Buk-M3 is one of the newer components of Russia’s layered air defense network. Introduced into service in 2016, it is designed to engage aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones at distances of up to 70 kilometers, or roughly 43 miles, and altitudes reaching 35 kilometers.
Unlike earlier Buk variants, the Buk-M3 carries its missiles in sealed launch canisters. A single launcher can hold up to six ready-to-fire missiles and operate alongside separate transport and reload vehicles.
Open-source estimates place the cost of a Buk-M3 launcher at between $40 million and $50 million.
Kairos operators also struck two Russian radar systems in Rostov region: a Nebo-SVU surveillance radar and a Sopka-2 transportable radar complex.
At the occupied Donetsk airfield, Phoenix operators targeted a site used by Russian forces to launch strike drones.
The Unmanned Systems Forces said the missions were coordinated with their newly established Deep Strike Center.
The operation also included attacks on four tankers as part of Operation MoLoChKa, Ukraine’s ongoing campaign against vessels supporting Russian maritime logistics.
Since the operation began on July 6, Ukrainian forces say they have struck 205 vessels—130 in the Sea of Azov and 75 in the Black Sea.
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