Ukraine’s 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade has destroyed two bridges inside Russia’s Belgorod region in an operation that showed the increasing effectiveness of inexpensive first-person-view (FPV) drones on the battlefield. The attack targeted Russian ammunition and mine stores hidden under two bridges near the border with Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, the unit said.

Mines and Ammo Stockpiles

In statements provided to CNN, Ukrainian officials said that the bridges were being used by Russia as key resupply routes for its forces operating near the frontlines. The Russian military had also mined the bridges themselves and prepared them for demolition in the event of a sudden Ukrainian advance.

It’s a defensive measure Ukraine has also used in the past. In February 2022, at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian military destroyed bridges around Kyiv in order to slow Moscow’s advance toward the capital. It seems that Ukrainian forces have now used the same tactic against Russia.

58th Brigade Investigates Bridge

The 58th Brigade said that it became suspicious of the Russian activity near one of the bridges. “It became clear that something was going on there,” a unit representative said. Standard reconnaissance drones could not approach the structure without losing signal, so the brigade deployed an FPV drone with fiber optics to see what was underneath.

When it got closer, it discovered a significant cache of anti-tank mines and other ammunition under the bridge. “We saw the mines and we struck,” the representative added. The bridge was then destroyed with explosives.

Video of the attack, also provided to CNN, shows the drone approach the bridge, spot the hidden munitions, then detonate in a large explosion. A second camera in the area captured the blast from a distance. CNN geolocated the video to a bridge inside Russia’s Belgorod region along the border with Kharkiv.

A second bridge near the area was then checked by the unit, with Ukrainian forces using a drone to discover that it too was mined. A second drone was then used to trigger an even more powerful explosion. “(We) saw an opportunity and took it,” the brigade said.

Cost-Effective Victory

For a military force, the operation was remarkable not only for its audacity but also its cost-effectiveness. According to Ukrainian sources, the drones used cost between 25,000 and 30,000 hryvnias (about $600–$725) each. Such small drones are common in Ukraine, and many of them can be bought online.

In normal circumstances, destroying bridges at such range would require precision-guided missiles or bombs. Ukraine has previously destroyed infrastructure inside Russia using U.S.-supplied HIMARS systems. Each HIMARS launcher costs millions of dollars and individual rockets cost tens of thousands of dollars apiece. For comparison, the Belgorod attacks used drones worth less than the average smartphone.

Drones Fight Their Way In

The operation also showed how such drones are playing an increasing role in the conflict. As Kyiv fights to target and destroy threats across Russia, drones provide a way for Ukraine to strike inside Russia without using any of its limited Western munitions.

Kyiv has previously shown great success in doing this, with one example in June when Ukrainian forces destroyed or damaged dozens of Russian aircraft using FPV drones smuggled close to Russian airfields.

“Operations like these show how even low-end technology can produce a result far beyond its capabilities when deployed in a creative way,” military analyst Mykola Bielieskov said. “Drone are a very affordable way to take the fight to Russian territory, and they help level the playing field against Russia’s far more plentiful arsenal.”

A Victory Against the Odds

For Ukraine, the destruction of the Belgorod bridges comes at a difficult time. Russian forces have recently made progress on the ground in eastern Ukraine, grinding their way forward after a period of defensive stalemate. At the same time, Moscow is launching near-daily missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities across the country.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has given a powerful speech in which he said that there would be “no talk of a ceasefire.” In the face of such challenges, Ukraine needed a victory. And in destroying the bridges, it has achieved just that.

Russia has so far not commented on the incident. However, the loss of the two bridges is certain to complicate Russian logistics inside the Belgorod region, cutting off a supply line to Russian forces stationed near the Ukrainian border.

Creative Pressure

For Ukraine’s military, the Belgorod strikes may be a sign of a larger trend in the war. As the conflict has entered its second year, the main reality for the Ukrainian military is that it must keep innovating to survive. Its Western supplies are often limited, and the Russian forces it fights have greater numbers. In order to cope, Kyiv has been forced to improvise, with drones being among the most effective tools it has at its disposal.

Ukrainian-made FPV drones are often assembled from commercial parts then modified by volunteer hobbyists, before being given to the military. “The drones’ value is immeasurable,” the 58th Brigade representative said. “We are able to achieve what is impossible using weapons we do not have.”

FPV drones and other types of cheap Ukrainian-made technology will likely continue to play a critical role in Ukraine’s ability to strike Russia at range. For now, though, the story of two destroyed bridges in Belgorod stands as a stark example of how even small, inexpensive weapons can be used to achieve strategic effects.