Two bridges inside the Belgorod region of Russia were destroyed during an operation by Ukraine’s 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade on March 23. The attack highlighted the continued ingenuity of Ukrainian forces, which have resorted to first-person-view (FPV) drones in order to blow up ammunition and mines located under bridges inside Russia.

Ukraine Dismantles Bridges Inside Russia

“The enemy had mined the bridge to destroy it in the event of the rapid advancement of the Ukrainian armed forces,” the brigade said in a statement. “In this regard, an inspection was carried out.”

The unit said the activity it observed was connected to the ammunition, which was later destroyed.

CNN reported that a representative of the brigade said the strikes were carried out with an FPV drone, a remote-controlled drone with a camera to allow the pilot to see its location and surroundings. Regular drones had previously been used by the unit in the area, but they were unable to inspect under the bridges without losing connection to the pilot.

The 58th Brigade eventually used a drone with fiber optics instead. “It became clear that something was going on there,” the representative told CNN.

The brigade also shared a video of the attack on March 24, which shows the drone moving in on the bridge and then detonating the explosives underneath. The munitions were large anti-tank mines in the video.

CNN geolocated the bridge to Russia’s Belgorod region, near the Kharkiv region border. Another video, from a different camera closer to the bridge, shows a second explosion from further away.

Ukraine Finds Russian Ammunition Under Bridges

The brigade said its pilots had found a “stash” of munitions under the bridge, including ammunition and mines. “We saw the mines, and we struck,” the representative said, according to CNN.

The unit said that, seeing the success of the first strike, it sent a drone to investigate another bridge. It, too, found munitions. “We saw an opportunity and took it,” the brigade said in a statement.

The total cost of the drones used in the two attacks was between 25,000 and 30,000 Ukrainian hryvnias apiece, or between $600 and $725. Such devices are relatively low-tech and built and assembled by many different volunteers, including from parts from commercial drones.

Cost-Effective Attacks

By contrast, destroying such targets with weapons directly is much more expensive. Ukraine previously attacked other infrastructure in Russia’s Kursk region, for example, with the U.S.-supplied HIMARS system, which fires guided rockets. HIMARS launchers themselves cost millions of dollars, while individual rockets cost tens of thousands of dollars apiece.

This is only one recent example of Ukraine turning to drones for maximum effect. In late June, Ukrainian forces reportedly used small drones smuggled in close to airfields in Russia to down or damage dozens of Russian aircraft.

“The value of these drones cannot be overstated,” the 58th Brigade’s representative said. “We can get the same effect as with the use of weapons that we do not have.”

Attacks Came Amid Difficult Times for Ukraine

For Ukraine, this was a rare bright spot amid a difficult period along the frontlines. Russian forces are continuing to advance slowly but steadily in the east of the country while also carrying out almost-daily missile and drone strikes on cities in Ukraine. Kyiv is using up Western weapons as quickly as it can get them, but this has not yet been enough to halt Russia’s attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky even acknowledged at the end of March that his country “did not prevent some very important attacks” on its cities by Russia. He added that Moscow “does not plan to ease up in this sense.”

In the face of this pressure, attacks like the one on the bridges in the Belgorod region offer a small chance for the Ukrainians to get back at the Russians. Putin has also stated that he will not meet with Western leaders like U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss a ceasefire. Such strikes will likely become more common. They are relatively low-cost and very high-impact.

Russia has yet to comment on the attack, but it is likely the lost bridges and munitions will be a boon for the Ukrainians as they continue the fight in the east. It will further complicate logistics for the Russian military in the Belgorod region and elsewhere along its border with Ukraine.