Ukraine says 65 Russians killed in drone academy strike

Ukraine said Wednesday that at least 65 Russian cadets and one instructor were killed in a strike on a drone training camp in occupied Snizhne, as Kyiv stepped up attacks on military sites behind Russian lines in eastern and southern Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said a separate Ukrainian strike in occupied Kherson killed and wounded almost 100 Russian troops. The claims could not be independently verified, and Russia did not immediately confirm the casualty figures.

Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said the strike in Snizhne hit a 2,484 square meter complex used to train Russian drone operators. Snizhne lies in the occupied part of Donetsk region, away from some of the heaviest fighting.

If confirmed, the strike would show Ukraine can reach personnel and facilities that support Russia’s drone campaign from the rear. Kyiv has increasingly tried to show that training grounds, regrouping points and support hubs in occupied territory are not beyond reach.

Zelenskiy said the Kherson strike was part of the same effort. Russian authorities, meanwhile, said air defences had shot down 121 Ukrainian drones overnight, figures that pointed to the scale of the aerial fighting even as neither side provided a full account of damage across all sites.

The rival claims illustrated how far the air war has spread. Ukraine is trying to disrupt the network that trains and deploys Russian drone operators, while Russia is highlighting the number of drones it says it intercepted before they reached their targets. Neither account provided an independent picture of the damage.

What Zelenskiy said

In remarks reported by Reuters, Zelenskiy said the operations were a response to continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities.

“Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and its attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified.”

— Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as quoted by Reuters

Important details remained unclear, including what weapon Ukraine used, whether the 65 cadets died at the scene or later of their wounds, and how much damage was done at the Kherson site. In wartime reporting, casualty claims often surface before satellite imagery, local video or statements from the other side fill in the picture.

The episode fits a broader pattern in recent Ukrainian statements: officials publicize what they describe as precise strikes and argue that Russian military sites in occupied territory are legitimate targets. For Moscow, the report adds to pressure from repeated Ukrainian drone attacks even as Russian officials say their air defences are intercepting large numbers of incoming aircraft.

Whether Ukraine can sustain that pace will depend on munitions, intelligence and its ability to identify Russian training and support sites before they move. For now, the claim from Snizhne suggests Kyiv wants Russian drone crews to feel at risk before they reach the battlefield.