Ukrainian drone units have carried out precision strikes against Russian military facilities believed to be responsible for the April 13 ballistic missile attack that killed dozens of civilians in the city of Sumy.
The targeted sites include permanent deployment locations of Russia’s 448th and 112th missile brigades, both equipped with Iskander missile systems.
According to Ukraine’s defense officials, the coordinated operation was executed by the Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces, Special Operations Forces, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in cooperation with other branches of the Defense Forces.
A military source said the attack was aimed at units involved in what Kyiv calls war crimes, including the Iskander missile strike that killed 32 civilians, among them two children, in Sumy.
In a statement, Ukrainian defense sources said the base of the 448th Missile Brigade in Kursk Oblast was targeted using loitering munitions, resulting in secondary ammunition detonations. Open-source images and videos circulating on Russian social media platforms appear to show fires and structural damage. Some Russian military bloggers confirmed the scale of destruction and questioned the Ministry of Defense’s failure to anticipate retaliatory action.
The April 16 follow-up strike reportedly hit the headquarters of the 112th Rocket Brigade in Shuya, Ivanovo Oblast. Damage assessments from the strikes are ongoing.
“Russia’s Ministry of Defense claims that 109 drones were intercepted over Kursk, but the key issue is not how many were shot down, but how many reached their target,” one pro-Russian military blogger wrote. “More than 150 drones were launched at Klyukovka alone. At least 31 reached their intended coordinates. This is the heaviest single loss the brigade has suffered, and it could have been prevented.”
Ukrainian sources stated that the attack was carried out using domestically produced AN-196 “Liutyi” (Fierce) and “Bober” kamikaze drones. Both platforms are increasingly used in deep strikes behind Russian lines, targeting ammunition depots, radar installations, and command centers.
The 448th and 112th brigades are known to operate variants of the 9M723 ballistic missile, part of the Iskander-M system. Ukrainian intelligence believes these units were directly involved in launching the April 13 strike from launch sites in Russia’s Voronezh and Kursk regions.
Kyiv has reiterated that it will continue targeting enemy infrastructure responsible for attacks on civilians, particularly as long-range drones give Ukraine new operational depth beyond the front lines.