On January 26, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a video recording the scene of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) long-range attacks by this country destroying two Ukrainian military helicopters in the deep rear area.
According to Russia, the attack was carried out on January 24 with a suicide Geran UAV, targeting targets belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The video shows two separate strikes into the same area, with images of the UAV rushing straight down the target and exploding. A controller appears in the frame, apparently supporting the UAV's navigation system during the attack.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the two destroyed helicopters were a Mi-24 and a Mi-8, both operated by the Ukrainian army.
According to published information, the area hit is about 46km west of Kanatovo airport in Kirovograd province - a location deep within Ukrainian-controlled territory. Before being officially posted, this video was widely circulated on Russian military Telegram channels.
A noteworthy point is that the Ukrainian side admitted that the attack could mark an important change in Russia's use of the Geran UAV.
Mr. Sergey Beskrestnov - nicknamed "Flash", a Ukrainian electronic warfare expert and currently advisor to new Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov - said that no other Russian UAVs are detected operating near the area to perform signal reception missions.
According to Mr. Beskrestnov, this shows that the Geran UAVs in the attack were likely controlled through satellite Internet links, instead of relying on airborne relays as before.
These UAVs are manually controlled at low altitudes to avoid being detected by radar," he said, while noting that this may be the first time Russia has deployed Geran in this way.
If the above assessment is correct, observers believe that this will be a significant step forward in Russia's UAV combat capability, especially in the context that both sides are increasing the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to attack high-value targets behind the battle line.
Controlling UAVs over satellites can significantly expand their range of operation, while reducing dependence on easily interfered with support vehicles.
On the Russian side, the Ministry of Defense did not comment specifically on the guiding method of the Geran UAV in this incident, but affirmed that the attacks hit legitimate military targets of Ukraine.
Moscow has recently continuously emphasized the increasing role of UAVs in modern combat operations.
Earlier this month, the Russian Ministry of Defense launched a large-scale recruitment campaign for the Unmanned Aerial Forces - a new force that is rapidly expanding based on practical experience from the conflict in Ukraine. This move shows that Russia considers UAVs an important pillar in its long-term military strategy.
In the context of ongoing conflict, the fact that long-range UAVs can "go deep" into the enemy's rear and hit targets such as helicopters, airports or logistics warehouses is raising concerns about the escalation and unpredictability of high-tech warfare.
