The strikes, which targeted Russian ammunition and mines stored near the bridges, were carried out by the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade.

The destruction of the two bridges near the Russian city of Belgorod in eastern Russia was a sign of the increasing battlefield effectiveness of low-cost first-person-view drones. According to Ukrainian officials, the bridges were a resupply route for Russian troops. The Russian military had also mined the bridges and prepared them for destruction to hold back a Ukrainian counterattack.

When Ukraine destroyed bridges in different parts of the country to slow Russia’s advance during the early days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, it later used the same tactic against Russian troops near the frontline. The Ukrainian 58th Brigade said it deployed an FPV drone to investigate.

It would be difficult to search for any mines on the bridge using a regular reconnaissance drone due to the limited signal range of such drones. After launching a drone in the area, a brigade representative told CNN they saw “something was going on there.”

It later revealed anti-tank mines were hidden under the bridge.

“We saw the mines and we struck,” the representative added.

After locating the mines, the drone was detonated, destroying the ammunition and the bridge in an explosion, as seen in the video released by the brigade. Footage from a nearby security camera showed the drone from a distance as the explosion was about to occur.

CNN was able to geolocate the video and determined that the bridge is in Russia’s Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.

“The 58th Brigade found the first one and immediately after the video from the drone reached the unit commander, it became clear that there was a Russian ammunition dump under the bridge. We saw the mines and we struck,” the brigade said in a statement, adding that they used one drone for each attack.

CNN obtained one of the videos from a source. This video has been verified by CNN to be genuine. The unit subsequently flew another FPV drone over another bridge in the same area. The drone spotted an ammunition dump and detonated, once again destroying the bridge.

Expensive Missiles Are Not Needed to Destroy Bridges

Drones cost between 25,000 and 30,000 Ukrainian hryvnias each ($600–$725) and allowed the Ukrainian unit to carry out the bridge destruction attacks. Under normal circumstances, Ukraine would have needed to use guided missiles or high-precision bombs to destroy a bridge from a distance. For example, Ukraine has previously used U.S.-supplied HIMARS systems to attack infrastructure in Russia’s Kursk region. Each HIMARS launcher is priced in the millions of dollars, while the rockets are in the tens of thousands.

FPV drones are cheaper than a smartphone and have been used by the Ukrainian military with increasing regularity in recent months. In June, for instance, Ukrainian drones were used to attack Russian military airfields, damaging or destroying several Russian warplanes.

In another recent case, Ukraine damaged a Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense vehicle in late July using an FPV drone smuggled across the border.

Ukrainian Attack Highlights Role of FPV Drones in Ukraine’s Defense

The incident is yet another example of how the relatively inexpensive drones have become one of Ukraine’s most critical military capabilities. Drones give Ukraine a means to attack deep into Russia without expending expensive Western-supplied munitions.

Kyiv has repeatedly used drones to attack inside Russian territory in recent months, most recently hitting Russian government offices in Belgorod in late July. Kyiv has also used drones to strike deep into Russia on a regular basis in an attempt to force Moscow to devote its attention and resources to defending its own territory.

Video Captures Ukrainian Drone Destroying Bridge in Russia

Despite increasing success with drones and other Russian military advances, including HIMARS and modern tanks and aircraft, Ukraine has not received Western military aid to use on Russian territory. This week, the bridges’ destruction provided a welcome break in the recent spate of heavy fighting across Ukraine.

Russian Forces Seize Ukrainian Territory

In eastern Ukraine, the Russian military has been slowly grinding its way forward, while near-daily missile and drone attacks by Moscow on Ukrainian cities have killed civilians and damaged critical infrastructure. President Vladimir Putin has also pushed back against talks of a ceasefire, vowing to continue offensive operations.

Putin Pushing Back Against Talks of Ceasefire

This has left the military’s success in Belgorod as one of few bright spots for Ukraine in the war in recent days. Russia has not commented on the attacks. However, the two destroyed bridges will likely have a negative impact on its logistics in the Belgorod region. They will disrupt supply lines for Russian troops stationed near the border with Ukraine. The Russian military will likely need to use Western-supplied parts to repair the bridges.