Operation Ashan: Ukraine Strikes Over 1,000 Russian Armored Vehicles and Artillery Systems

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have struck more than 1,000 Russian armored vehicles and artillery systems as part of Operation Auchan, a two-phase campaign, according to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

Speaking at the Brave1 Advantage event, Fedorov said the operation’s first phase took place last year, when specialized bomber drones destroyed more than 800 Russian armored vehicles and artillery systems.

“The concept was to use specially developed bomber drones supported by effective reconnaissance. This allowed us to locate and strike tanks, armored personnel carriers, other armored vehicles, and artillery. In just a few nights, more than 800 pieces of enemy equipment were destroyed. After that, the Russians did not carry out a single mechanized offensive for six months,” Fedorov said.

According to the minister, Ukrainian forces struck Russian equipment more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) behind the front line.

In June of this year, it was decided to repeat the operation, this time focusing on destroying Russian artillery. This phase was given the codename “ArtAshan.”

“We saw in the General Staff’s reports that Ukraine continues to lose a certain percentage of its service members due to enemy artillery fire, and we asked ourselves what we could do to reduce our losses,” Fedorov said.

This time, units of the Unmanned Systems Forces carried out coordinated strikes against Russian howitzers in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Starobilsk operational sectors.

As a result, Ukrainian forces hit 231 targets, 171 of which were destroyed. The effectiveness of the strikes was confirmed through objective monitoring systems and intercepted communications.

According to the military, Russian activity across the entire front line dropped by 30% to 81% within the first day.

Overall, during the Ashan special operation, Ukrainian defenders struck 1,180 targets. This weakened Russian forces and reduced shelling of Ukrainian positions.

The minister also announced the launch of the first phase of the Basic Level project – a minimum guaranteed level of monthly drone supplies for units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.