Ukrainian Airstrike Wipes Out Russian Drone Launch Site in Zaporizhzhia

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that it struck a Russian observation post used to launch drones at Ukrainian targets, located near the occupied settlement of Kopani in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The operation was on Feb. 25, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) reported via Telegram.

“The Air Force has successfully delivered a high-precision strike on a residential building used by the 1429th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the invaders as a command and observation post and a launch site for UAVs,” the statement reads.

The village of Kopani in the Orikhiv district of the region has been under Russian occupation since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

“As a result of the fire damage, the ability of Russian troops to terrorize the Ukrainian civilian population has been significantly reduced,” the report adds.

The General Staff said that the Air Force would continue targeting Russian troops, equipment, and military infrastructure “until Russia withdraws its forces from the sovereign territory of Ukraine.”

In late January, the Atesh partisan group reported that Russian forces had increasingly been using civilian homes in occupied areas of the Zaporizhzhia region to hide ammunition stockpiles.

“The Russians are using a significant number of houses as ammunition depots. Military police and FSB officers visit daily, while cases loaded with cartridges, grenades, and mines are constantly on the move,” the report says.

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A similar pattern was observed in the summer of 2023 when the partisan group, Center for National Resistance, reported that Russian troops were storing ammunition in the basements of civilian buildings in occupied territories – including residential high-rises and administrative buildings.

According to the report, this tactic continues to put residents at risk by effectively using them as human shields.

The General Staff also confirmed that Russian troops had been expanding the use of civilian infrastructure in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories for military purposes.

“Russian occupiers continue to use civilian infrastructure in the territory of temporarily occupied settlements,” the report shared in the summer of 2023 says.