On the night of January 30–31, Ukrainian drones struck a pumping station on the Druzhba pipeline in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast, near the Belarusian border. According to multiple reports, the attack was carried out by the 14th Separate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Regiment of Ukraine. The strike resulted in a fire large enough to be detected by NASA’s thermal imaging satellites.
Evidence from Ukrainian defense sources confirms that the drones used in the attack were equipped with FAB-250M-54 high-explosive bombs. A published image shows the bomb alongside a 120 mm mortar round, highlighting the scale of the munitions. Unlike previous drone attacks that relied on kamikaze-style strikes, these UAVs reportedly released their bombs mid-flight before potentially returning to base.
A Ukrainian drone from the 14th UAV Regiment, armed with a Soviet FAB-250M-54 type bomb and a 120mm mortar shell, reportedly used in yesterday’s strikes on Bryansk region. pic.twitter.com/PHlKh4KPpe
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) January 30, 2025
Such reports have become so frequent that they can easily be overlooked. However, last night in the Bryansk region, the Novozybkov station of the Druzhba oil pipeline came under attack. Judging by the fire, the strike was precise. pic.twitter.com/OEOFcSJXgj
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) January 30, 2025
Previous reports by SOFX have shown that Ukraine has modified former civilian aircraft, such as the Aeroprakt A-22 and SkyRanger Swift, into remote-controlled bombers capable of carrying heavier payloads. These UAVs have been used in previous strikes, but earlier versions typically crashed into their targets. The recent attack suggests advancements in Ukraine’s ability to deploy reusable strike drones.
This morning a kamikaze drone made on the base of Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat targeted an OMON base in Grozny, Russia (Kadyrov’s capital). pic.twitter.com/eUonfXqajE
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) December 15, 2024
The Druzhba pipeline is a critical part of Russia’s oil export network. This attack is part of a series of Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure over the past two years. Russian sources have previously reported the loss of UAVs carrying similar bombs due to electronic warfare countermeasures or technical failures.
