Deep Rear: ‘Ronins’ Unit Hits Vehicles Over 35 Kilometers Away

The unmanned systems battalion of the 65th Mechanized Brigade carried out a series of strikes on Russian armored vehicles positioned deep in the rear of the invaders in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Footage of the strikes was released on the ‘Ronins’ unit’s channel.

The drones of the 65th Mechanized Brigade struck five Russian BTR-82 armored personnel carriers that were carelessly stationed in open-area hangars.

The operators managed to quickly deploy ten strike FPV drones at long range, preventing the enemy forces from moving their equipment out of the strike zone.

The Ukrainian geospatial intelligence project WarArchive geolocated the position depicted in the footage showing Russian armored vehicles east of the village of Rivne, the Zaporizhzhia region.

The targeted assets were situated approximately 35 to 40 kilometers from the frontline, which likely contributed to the enemy’s complacent deployment of equipment. This range remains challenging for standard FPV drones to reach and is classified as a rear operational zone.

It is highly probable that strikes at this distance were enabled by the use of a mothership drone, which transports strike drones over extended ranges and serves as a relay for radio communications.

Currently, FPV drones equipped with fiber-optic communication systems are predominantly used for flights over such long distances. This technology allows operations under any conditions without the risk of losing control. Recently, the drones operated by the Madyar’s Birds unit struck armored vehicles at a record distance of 42 kilometers.

An external pilot guided a drone into a hangar where, as was later revealed, the tanks and infantry fighting vehicles of the occupiers were concealed.

Previously, the operators of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine also struck a Russian fuel train transporting fuel through the occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia region using drones.

According to an analysis by the CyberBoroshno community, the rolling stock was hit near the village of Novobohdanivka in the Melitopol district, located deep in the rear approximately 50 kilometers from the frontline.

As noted by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, at least three fuel tank cars were destroyed by the drones. This strike is significant for disrupting the invaders’ logistics, as they strongly rely on railway fuel and equipment transportation.