In 2025, Russia has launched more than 44,000 one-way drone attacks against Ukraine.
While peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia continue, the Ukrainian military conducted a large-scale attack against a major Russian suicide drone base.
Attacking Russian Suicide Drone Bases
On November 5, the Ukrainian military fired missiles and suicide drones against a Russian drone base close to the Donetsk airport. The Russian forces used the base to store, assemble, and launch suicide unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
“One building, reportedly used for warhead storage, was destroyed in Ukraine’s strike, two further buildings sustained damage, and a fourth sustained minimal damage to its roof. UAS pre-launch infrastructure, a fuel depot and an ammunition warehouse are reported to have been damaged in the strike,” the British Ministry of Defence assessed in its most recent operational update on the war in Ukraine.
According to open source reporting, the Russian drone base housed over 1,000 Geran-2 suicide drones. The unmanned aerial system is a replica of the highly successful Iranian Shahed-136 suicide drone.
“Russia reportedly began constructing UAS infrastructure and launch sites in the vicinity of the airport over the summer to support Russia’s increased scale of UAS operations against Ukrainian targets,” the British Ministry of Defence assessed.
The Ukrainian military’s decision to use a combined attack with missile and suicide drones came straight from the Russian military’s playbook. Since the very early months of the conflict, the Russian military has been pairing ballistic and cruise missiles with one-way attack unmanned aerial systems to target and attack Ukrainian urban centers and critical infrastructure. Moscow’s aim is to make life hard for the Ukrainian people, thereby increasing the pressure on the Ukrainian government to capitulate. Although highly deadly, this strategy has failed to bring Ukraine to surrender.
Russia’s Drone Strategy
The current Russian strategy places heavy emphasis on suicide drones. Thus far in 2025, the Russian forces have launched more than 44,000 one-way attack unmanned aerial systems against Ukraine. That is an incredibly high number and an increase of over 300 percent compared to 2024.
“Ukraine’s strike emphasises the difficulties for Russian air defence in protecting military locations within range of Ukraine’s ever improving UAS capabilities, particularly this close to the frontline,” the British Ministry of Defence stated.
The Russian military is gambling by placing such major drone bases close to Ukraine in order to support the vastly increased pace of unmanned aerial operations.
“It also highlights Ukraine’s continuing ability to conduct effective combined aerial strikes against Russian targets, at the same time as Russian forces continue to exert pressure across multiple areas of the frontline,” the British Ministry of Defence concluded in its intelligence assessment.
The base that the Ukrainian forces attacked is not the only major Russian drone base close to the frontline. Indeed, approximately 250 miles from the frontline, near the village of Tsymbulova in the Oryol Oblast in Russia, the Russian military has established a standalone drone air base that can house thousands of suicide drones. It is likely that the Ukrainian military will try to strike that drone base, too.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock.
