Drones belonging to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) have destroyed a military radar installation in Russia's Bryansk region, according to an SBU source, in what would be another blow to Russia's ability to monitor activities deep inside Ukraine.
The Nebo-SVU radar complex monitored the skies some 700 kilometers into Ukraine, offering Russian troops better control during attacks and supporting bombers that were targeting Ukraine's territory.
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"Radars worth $100 million were struck by seven kamikaze drones," a source, speaking on condition of anonymity told RFE/RL, adding that it had confirmation that the Nebo-SVU complex was no longer functional and "probably turned into a colander."
The source did not specify when the alleged attack had taken place and the information could not be independently confirmed immediately. Russia has not mentioned any attempted Ukrainian strikes on Bryansk recently.
On April 16, Russia's Defense Ministry said that its forces had "prevented an attempted Ukrainian drone attack," shooting down three Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region.
Confronted with a worsening lack of air defenses, weapons, and ammunition as Western aid is drying out, the Ukrainian military has increasingly resorted to air and naval drone strikes deep inside Russian territory, targeting both military installations and critical oil-refining capabilities.
On April 9, the Ukrainian military intelligence said it had hit an aviation training center in Russia's southwestern Voronezh region.
On April 8, Ukrainian intelligence reportedly carried out a special operation that damaged Russia's Serpukhov missile corvette docked off the exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea.
Last month, it said Ukrainian sea drones struck and "sunk" the Russian patrol vessel Sergei Kotov off the coast of occupied Crimea.
In February, Ukraine's military said it had destroyed the Tsezar Kunikov, one of the largest Russian landing ships, also off the Crimean coast, and had sunk the missile-armed corvette Ivanovets in the Black Sea using naval drones.
Russia has not commented on the Ukrainian claims.