Ukraine strikes Russian drone control points, training ground, and depots in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts
Ukraine's Defence Forces struck a series of Russian military targets on 18 September and during the night of 19 September, including UAV control points, a training ground, and ammunition and materiel depots in the occupied parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russia had not commented on the strikes at the time of reporting.
Key points
- Strikes occurred on 18 September and during the night of 19 September, per the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- UAV control points were hit in Luhanske and Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, and in Volodymyrivka, Verbove, Novoprokopivka, Dobropillia, and Rivnopillia in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
- Two UAV control points were struck in the area of Novoprokopivka, for a total of eight UAV control points hit across both oblasts.
- The 'Vostochny' training ground was struck in the area of temporarily occupied Novopetrivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
- A materiel and technical supply depot was struck in Rybynske, Donetsk Oblast, and an ammunition depot was struck near Amvrosiivka, Donetsk Oblast.
- Damage to a Russian 80P6 radar station near the village of Mityuli in Russia's Smolensk Oblast, hit on 17 September, was confirmed from prior strikes.
- Russia had not commented on the reported strikes at the time of reporting.
Why it matters
The strikes hit the command nodes behind Russian drone operations, which have played a central role in frontline combat on both sides of the contact line. By also targeting a training ground and supply and ammunition depots on occupied territory, Ukraine is working to degrade Russian force generation and sustainment. The separately confirmed damage to an 80P6 long-range radar station deep inside Russia's Smolensk Oblast points to Ukraine's ability to reach high-value Russian military assets far behind the front.
What happened
On 18 September and during the night of 19 September, units of Ukraine's Defence Forces struck a series of Russian military targets across the occupied parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
UAV control points were hit in the areas of Luhanske and Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, and in the areas of Volodymyrivka, Verbove, Novoprokopivka, Dobropillia and Rivnopillia in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, with two of the points located near Novoprokopivka, for a total of eight UAV control points struck across both oblasts.
The 'Vostochny' (Восточный) training ground was struck in the area of the temporarily occupied village of Novopetrivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. A warehouse of materiel and technical supplies was hit in Rybynske, Donetsk Oblast, and a Russian ammunition depot was hit in the area of Amvrosiivka, Donetsk Oblast. Four Russian military objects were struck on the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk Oblast during the operation.
Separately, follow-up assessment confirmed damage to a Russian 80P6 radar station near the village of Mityuli in Russia's Smolensk Oblast, resulting from a strike on 17 September.
Russia had not commented on the reported strikes at the time of reporting.
Where reporting differs
Sources broadly agree on the locations and categories of targets struck. The main discrepancy concerns the timing of the radar strike near Mityuli in Smolensk Oblast: one article dates it to 17 September 2026, while three others describe it as occurring on 17 September without specifying the year, with the remaining articles framing the overall operation as taking place on 18 September and the night of 19 September.
Background
All targeting details in the reporting come from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Russia had not commented on the strikes at the time of reporting. A separate article lists additional subsequent strikes beyond those detailed in most reports, including a Buk-M3 air defence system near Ukrayinka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, a Nebo-U radar station in Balka in Donetsk Oblast, a UAV production facility in Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast, a command-observation post in Zoryane in Donetsk Oblast, and a UAV control point in Staromykhailivka, indicating a broader pattern of Ukrainian strikes on Russian military infrastructure.