Did Ukraine Just Hit Russia with a Swarm of Drones?
An undisclosed number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were reportedly shot down near the Russian city of Kursk in the early hours of Friday, claimed regional governor Roman Starovoyt on the social messaging platform Telegram.
“Tonight the air defense system near Kursk shot down several Ukrainian drones,” Starovoyt wrote.
Hours earlier on Thursday, Starovoyt also posted that “drone munitions” had been dropped on a power substation in the village of Gogolevka in the Kursk Oblast, which resulted in power blackouts. The governor had alleged another drone attack on an electrical substation last month.
Kyiv has neither denied nor confirmed the drone strikes. However, Ukraine does not usually comment on such attacks within Russia or in Russian-occupied territories.
Who is Striking at Russia?
The attack on Kursk comes just days after at least eight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) hit the Russian capital of Moscow on Tuesday morning. The drones reportedly struck several buildings, including residential blocks within the city. The attack caused damage to some buildings within Russia’s largest city and forced some residents to evacuate their homes.
Last month, anti-Putin Russians fighting for Ukraine raided several settlements in the Belgorod Oblast, capturing a Russian Army BTR-82A armored personnel carrier (APC) at the Graivoron border crossing checkpoint.
Two paramilitary units – the Freedom of Russian Legion (FRL) and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) – entered the Belgorod region and briefly took control of the Russian villages of Kozinka and Gora-Podol, before returning back to Ukraine.
Russian media confirmed that heavy fighting occurred but described the raid as a terrorist operation.
“Ukrainian Armed Forces saboteurs group entered the territory of the Graivoronsk district. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation together with the Border Service, the Russian Guard, and the FSB [intelligence service] are taking the necessary measures to eliminate the enemy,” Belgorod Governor Viacheslav Gladkov said in a statement posted to the Telegram social messaging service.
This week, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov further downplayed the recent attacks – and told Russian state media it would have no impact on the Kremlin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. However, his statements was made before the latest strike on Kursk.
Kursk – Tank Battle and More
The city of Kursk is the administrative center of the Kursk Oblast, and it is located about 428 km (265 miles) from the Ukrainian border. It has a population of around 440,000.
The very name “Kursk” conjures different lessons from Russian/Soviet history.
Originally built as a fortress city in the 14th century, during the Second World War, the surrounding area of Kursk’s urban center was the site of the largest tank battle in history, which occurred from July 5 to August 23, 1943. Following the Soviet Red Army’s victory, the forces of Nazi Germany were driven out of Ukraine.
In addition, the Russian Navy’s Project 949A class Antey submarine K-141 Kursk was named after the city. It was lost when it sank in the Barents Sea in August 2000, killing all 118 personnel on board.
Now, Kursk could be the latest Russian city to be drawn into the war in Ukraine.
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
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