Drone forces destroyed a Tor-M2 in Luhansk Oblast and a Pantsir-S1 in Crimea, struck a ship in Berdiansk, destroyed the Be-200 amphibious aircraft and Ka-27 chopper in Russia’s Yeysk.
By Yuri Zoria
15/05/2026
Euromaidan Press
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) hit 23 Russian military targets in a single overnight raid on 14–15 May, SBS commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi reported. Targets spanned Krasnodar Krai, Rostov Oblast, occupied Crimea, and occupied parts of three Ukrainian oblasts, according to him. Confirmed hits include a Russian Be-200 amphibious aircraft, an ammunition cargo ship in occupied Berdiansk, and two Russian air defense systems, according to footage of the strikes, shared by Brovdi and SBS.
Ukraine’s drone forces are systematically degrading Russian air defenses to open corridors for deeper strikes on Russian oil and military infrastructure. The radars, anti-air systems, and aircraft Russia uses for surveillance against Ukrainian unmanned systems are among the priority targets.
How Ukraine hit the Russian Yeysk airbase
SBS’s 1st Separate Center destroyed the Be-200 amphibious aircraft at Yeysk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, overnight, SBS reported. Russian forces had wrapped a nearby Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopter in anti-drone netting. Ukrainian drones hit the helicopter as well.
Telegram channel AviVector later confirmed the complete destruction of the Be-200 using satellite imagery.
Yeysk airbase, on Russia’s eastern coast of the Sea of Azov, hosts Russia’s 859th Naval Aviation Training Center. The base has been used for Russian airstrikes against Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine’s Security Service hit the same airbase in December 2025 to disable Russia’s only Il-38N submarine-hunter aircraft.
The Be-200 was the more modern aircraft Russia still operated after Ukrainian intelligence destroyed two older Be-12 anti-submarine amphibians in occupied Crimea in September 2025.
A Pantsir in Crimea and a Tor in Luhansk Oblast
SBS’s 1st Separate Center also hit a Russian Pantsir-S1 short-range air defense system near the village of Khutorok in occupied Crimea. The 427th Brigade “Raroh” of SBS struck a Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile launcher near Honcharove in Luhansk Oblast.
The two strikes brought the SBS’s May tally of destroyed Russian air defense elements to 17, Brovdi said. That follows the 15 elements that the same forces destroyed in the first 14 days of May.
The published thermal footage of the Tor strike shows Ukraine’s drone hitting the launcher in a low, near-horizontal profile rather than the typical overhead dive.
A daylight strike on a Russian ammunition ship in Berdiansk
Ukrainian drones struck a Russian cargo vessel carrying ammunition at the Berdiansk port in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Ukrainian OSINT community CyberBoroshno reported the ship had been docked at berths 3 to 4 in the port. Russian mobile air defense groups attempted to interfere with the strike but failed.
What was unusual is that, unlike all other previous and current strikes, this attack took place in broad daylight, showing that Ukraine’s campaign to degrade Russia’s air defenses has started bearing fruit.
Coordinated by Ukraine’s Deep Strike Center
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces formalized the Deep Strike Center earlier this year to coordinate strikes on high-value Russian targets in occupied territories and inside Russia. The center also coordinated a separate strike on the Ryazan oil refinery, with Special Operations Forces and Defense Intelligence.
Drone overflights and strong explosions were also reported overnight across occupied Crimea, including over Yevpatoria, Saky, the Kacha airfield, and Cape Fiolent in Sevastopol, per RFE/RL.
153 Russian air defense units destroyed since December
From December 2025 through 15 May 2026, SBS has destroyed 153 Russian air defense elements, Brovdi said. The total includes 108 surface-to-air missile systems, 39 radars, and 6 electronic warfare complexes.