Inside Kyiv’s secret drone program that’s hitting targets deep inside Russia.
POLITICO
By Ibrahim Naber
06/19/2026
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, Ukraine — At a secret warehouse, in the darkness of night, masked specialists from Ukraine’s military intelligence service GUR drill and hammer as they assemble a line of 15-foot-long aircraft. These are Ukrainian Liutyi long-range kamikaze drones, carrying explosive payloads of up to 150 pounds and capable of traveling nearly 1,300 miles. Later that night, they will be launched toward targets inside Russia.
“They are now our most important card in this war,” says a Ukrainian commander using the call sign “Vector,” as he taps the wing of one of the drones. He leads a unit specializing in so-called deep strikes — attacks conducted far behind Russian lines.
A drone campaign that began in early 2024 with only a few dozen aircraft per month has evolved into a large-scale operation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s forces are now launching an average of 200 to 300 drones against targets in Russian territory every night.
On Thursday, Ukraine unleashed its largest attack yet deep inside Russia, targeting an oil refinery near Moscow. The explosions sent plumes of black smoke billowing above the capital’s suburbs and shut down flights at four airports for hours. Russian officials reported downing hundreds of drones in the skies above Moscow and other cities.
A reporting team from the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which includes POLITICO, was granted permission to observe one night of mission preparations earlier this month under restrictions aimed at protecting the unit’s security: Mobile phones were prohibited, the faces of intelligence personnel could not be filmed, and their voices must be altered in any video.
The intelligence officials explained that the attacks rely on a difficult-to-counter combination of explosive-laden long-range kamikaze drones, decoy drones designed to confuse air defenses and missile-type drones. Their primary targets are military installations and oil facilities — sites crucial to both the conduct and financing of Russia’s war effort.
“At the beginning, Russians believed they were conducting a special military operation. Now they understand that this is a war,” Commander “Vector” said. The message to Russia, he adds: “‘This war has now reached your homes as well.’ We hope that message helps Russia bring this war to an end.”
Ibrahim Naber is a WELT foreign correspondent who has spent more than a year reporting from Ukraine. In 2025, he received the George Weidenfeld Prize for his coverage of global conflict and crisis zones.