Russian troops attacked Odessa, Ukraine destroyed helicopters, battlefield became drone laboratory

The Ukrainian government said on the 28th that Russian drones attacked the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa under the cover of night, killing two people and injuring at least 17 people. In addition, three attack helicopters and air defense missile systems were destroyed by Ukrainian drones in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.

Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) officials said on the 28th that they used special drones to attack the Kirovsk military airport in Crimea. The official, who did not want to be named, said, “Data shows that attack helicopters including Mi-8, Mi-26, Mi-28 and Pantsir-S1 air defense missile artillery systems were destroyed.”

Ukrainian emergency services pointed out that a Russian drone hit a residential building in Odessa, causing damage to three floors of the building and trapping some residents. Oleh Kiper, governor of Odessa, added that the two killed were a couple, and three of the injured were children.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also said that more than 40 Ukrainian drones were shot down over western Russia and Crimea on the night of the 27th and the morning of the 28th.

The Associated Press pointed out that the use of drones for long-range attacks has become a key feature of this war. As the war enters its fourth year, both sides are actively developing more advanced and deadly drones, making the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield a laboratory for new weapons.

Ukrainian drones have achieved some amazing results. In early June, the country used cheap drones to sneak into Russian territory to carry out secret operations, severely damaging nearly one-third of Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet. Small short-range drones from both sides are also active within 1,000 kilometers of the front line.

The report released by the United Nations Human Rights Observer Mission in Ukraine on the 26th pointed out that from February 2022 to April 2025, short-range drones killed 395 civilians and injured 2,635 people, and nearly 90% of such attacks were launched by the Russian army.