Three Russian Drone Operators Killed in Car Blast in Occupied Kherson Region

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said it eliminated three Russian drone operators from the Bars-Sarmat unit in a strike on the occupied Kherson region.

The Main Intelligence Directorate (DIU) reported that the operators were killed near the occupied village of Strilkove, Kherson region, when an explosive device detonated inside a Chevrolet Aveo.

All three Russians, including the group’s senior leader, were killed in the explosion.

According to the DIU, the Bars-Sarmat special-purpose center was formed in 2024 in the occupied Zaporizhia region.

It is involved in the testing and operational deployment of unmanned and electronic warfare systems, including UAVs, robotic platforms, electronic reconnaissance, and communications equipment.

The unit is reportedly led by Dmitry Rogozin, former head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos. The Bars-Sarmat center includes several detachments; the group targeted in this incident was part of the Bars-1 unit, based in occupied Henichesk.

“The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reminds: every war crime against the Ukrainian people will be met with just retribution,” the agency said in a statement.

On July 3, an explosion in central Luhansk killed Manolis Pilavov, a high-ranking pro-Russian official. Authorities attributed that blast to another unidentified explosive device.