Ukraine Sets Two Daily Loss Records Against Russia in Single Day

(KYIV) – Ukraine inflicted severe damage on Russian military logistics and established new battlefield loss records on 31 May 2026, combining a wave of roughly 200 deep strike drones with AI-assisted operations that destroyed unprecedented numbers of Russian ground vehicles and special equipment.

The Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed overnight strikes on the Saratov oil refinery, a Rosneft facility capable of processing seven million tonnes of crude per year and producing more than 20 types of petroleum products for the Russian domestic market and military. Footage showed pillars of smoke rising from the refinery complex.

Ukrainian forces struck a fuel and lubricants depot in the Matviiv Kurhan area of the Rostov region, setting the logistics support facility ablaze. A separate strike hit an oil transit node in the Kirov region, 1,200 kilometres from Ukrainian territory. The node is responsible for pumping Siberian oil to refineries and northern export terminals.

The 412th Unmanned Systems Brigade, known as Nemesis, struck a Russian cargo vessel near Pier 4 at the port of Berdiansk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast overnight. Four port cranes were disabled in the same operation. The vessel marks the third ship hit in the Berdiansk area within a fortnight.

In ground combat, Ukrainian forces recorded 524 Russian special equipment losses – vehicles and fuel tanks – the single highest daily tally of the entire war. A further 19 unmanned ground vehicles were eliminated, which analysts also believe constitutes a record. Russian forces lost two tanks, 14 armoured fighting vehicles, and 57 artillery systems during the same period. Total combat engagements reached 302, the fifth highest daily figure since the full-scale invasion began.

The 46th Air Mobile Brigade destroyed a rare imported 107 mm multiple launch rocket system, assessed as either a Chinese manufactured Type 63 or a North Korean Type 75, a light artillery piece designed for rapid area strikes.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Pokrovsk direction saw 36 Russian attacks, the Pulplye direction 27 assaults, areas north and northwest of occupied New York 12 attacks, the Lyman direction eight attacks, and positions north of Kharkiv nine Russian attempts.

Russia launched 229 attack drones against Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian air defences neutralised 212 of them, a 92.6 per cent interception rate. Debris fell on five locations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received another IRIS T air defence launcher from Germany. He noted that over the preceding week alone, Russia had launched more than 2,300 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs, and 108 missiles of various types against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

A CNN report from a Ukrainian drone command centre revealed operators simultaneously controlling thousands of drones with artificial intelligence assistance. “It’s our biggest advantage and why it’s so hard for Russia to destroy this program. Because we split up. We don’t have any common centres and we use dozens of places,” a Ukrainian operator explained. The software enables work with thousands of UAVs simultaneously rather than single units, exploiting the Russian military’s systemic reliance on centralised command structures.

In occupied Crimea, fuel rationing has been introduced. Sevastopol authorities now distribute AI 92 and AI 95 petrol exclusively through ration cards. A single filling station in Yalta received a nighttime shipment, drawing queues of hundreds of vehicles. Russian occupation sources described the situation as verging on catastrophic.

The Ukrainian campaign against Russian logistics has seen near daily refinery strikes throughout May, with only five days recording no such attack. “Trump must pressure Putin,” the analyst Professor Gerdes concluded.