(UKRAINE / DONETSK REGION) – Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes against Russian fuel and ammunition hubs, marking a significant escalation in efforts to disrupt Moscow’s supply lines.
Unmanned aerial systems targeted a Russian train carrying fuel and ammunition to troops near the city of Luhansk. The 414th Madiar Birds Brigade used several drones to strike the convoy, injuring the train driver and his assistant while damaging fuel tanks. Russian forces confirmed the strike on social media.
Earlier, Ukrainian forces carried out a coordinated attack on a Russian ammunition depot near the village of Shioka, Balka, outside occupied Mariupol in Donetsk. The strike ignited a fire and caused secondary explosions as stored artillery and rocket ammunition detonated, destroying significant munitions stockpiles used by Russian units across the southern Donetsk front.
Approximately 30 minutes after the initial strike, Ukrainian drones intercepted Russian military vehicles evacuating personnel and equipment near the town of Manhush. Five vehicles were destroyed, and casualties were reported among Russian troops.
All operations employed unmanned aerial vehicles, highlighting Ukraine’s growing reliance on drones to disrupt logistics. The tactic involves striking supply hubs first, then targeting reinforcements and recovery teams. This campaign focuses on weakening Russian supply lines, particularly along the strategic Mariupol corridor.
A separate Ukrainian drone strike ignited multiple fuel tanks at the Tikoritzkaya oil transshipment base in Kranadar, southern Russia. Large fires engulfed the facility, a key node in the state pipeline network operated by Transnft through Kernomore Transn, which feeds exports to the Black Sea port of Nova Rosk. Emergency crews struggled to contain the blaze due to the volume of fuel stored.
Ukrainian forces also struck Russian air defence and logistics infrastructure. A Russian S300V air defence launcher was destroyed near Boraveni in occupied Luhansk, while an S300 radar system was hit near Sevastapole in Crimea. Multiple logistics targets across Luhansk and Zaporizhia, including fuel trains and ammunition depots, were also attacked.
Specialised Ukrainian units targeted Russian radar systems in Crimea in February, disabling key stations and drone relay nodes. In occupied Donetsk, Ukrainian forces destroyed the Tokash industrial complex used for assembling warheads and storing ammunition, triggering secondary explosions and fires, indicating large munitions stockpiles.
In the cyber domain, Starlink traffic in Ukraine fell by 75% after SpaceX restricted terminals in occupied territories. Russians reportedly hire local agents to register terminals, exposing them to criminal liability. Ukraine has introduced a white list system for military use of Starlink terminals.
Elsewhere, the US reported four fatalities among six crew members of a KC135 Strat tanker that crashed in western Iraq on March 12th during Operation Epic Fury. The crash is under investigation but is not believed to involve hostile fire.
In the Middle East, Iranian drone attacks have targeted infrastructure and allied bases in Iraq and Dubai. An Iranian missile strike hit an Italian base in Arabble, northeastern Iraq, on March 12th with no casualties. Dubai authorities intercepted an Iranian Shahed drone near the International Financial Centre, preventing major damage.
Saudi Aramco is negotiating with Ukrainian companies Skyfall and Wild Hornets for interceptor drones to protect oil infrastructure, with Gulf states requesting thousands of units. The US Navy may begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz to counter Iranian threats.
