Ukrainian Airstrike on Kursk Drone Hub Kills Russian Operators

The Ukrainian Air Force struck a Russian UAV control point in the Tyotkino area of Russia’s Kursk region on May 4 from which reconnaissance and strike drones were operated. Ukraine’s General Staff said up to 20 Russian servicemen were killed and key equipment was destroyed.

“On May 4, the Air Force successfully struck a control point for enemy UAV units in the area of the Tyotkino settlement of Kursk Oblast,” the General Staff wrote on Telegram.

“The brave pilots of the Air Force and all the Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to systematically reduce the aggressor state’s ability to wage an aggressive war,” the statement added.

Tyotkino, located northwest of the Ukrainian city of Sumy, has been a key location from which Russian forces attempted to combat the Ukrainian military’s cross-border Kursk operation.

According to the DeepState project, Ukraine’s Defense Forces currently control 11.35 square kilometers (4.4 square miles) near the village, including the right bank of the Seim River. The local gray zone, which includes parts of Tyotkino, covers nearly 9.5 square kilometers (3.7 square miles).

Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said Tyotkino has been used as a training ground for Russian drone operators since 2022.

According to him, Russians trained there on civilian Mavic drones before converting to operate combat FPV drones equipped with munitions, many used to attack civilians in Ukraine.

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“… there was a control point for Russian UAVs that carried out attacks on the Sumy region. The key thing [being] WAS,” Kovalenko wrote on Telegram, alluding to its strategic importance.

Separately on May 4, the Ukrainian Air Force also struck a command post of Russian motorized rifle troops in the Bakhmut area, reportedly affecting operations in the Pokrovsk sector.

The Ukrainian military’s operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast has achieved most of its objectives, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Syrsky said on May 5.

“Thanks to our active actions in the Kursk Oblast, we managed to prevent an offensive campaign by the enemy in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions,” Syrsky wrote on Facebook.

He said that the buffer zone created in the border areas “remains relevant even now.”

Syrsky emphasized the importance of unconventional tactics against a larger enemy: “It was a surprise for the enemy. Ukraine showed that it is capable of counterattacking, beating, and driving the enemy, including on its soil.”

Meanwhile, Russian Telegram channels reported renewed Ukrainian activity in the Glushkovsky district of Kursk Oblast on Monday.

The pro-Russian “Administration Z” Telegram channel described a tense situation, claiming Ukrainian forces shelled Tyotkino and clashed with Russian troops near the local railway station before pulling back to Ryzhovka.

The channel also reported that Ukrainian troops blew up a bridge near the settlement of Zvannoe.