Ukrainian forces carried out a unique operation, destroying a bridge with drones for the first time in history. It concerned the crossing over the Konka River (a tributary of the Dnipro), which was critically important for the occupiers’ logistics on the islands near Kherson.
The Telegraph reported the details of the operation, which took place earlier but has only now been disclosed.
It is noted that a key moment in the operation was a mistake by a Russian soldier who posted a photo on Instagram showing him posing directly under the bridge supports. That photo allowed Ukrainian engineers from the “Zhurnalista” unit (426th Marine Unmanned Systems Regiment) to study the vulnerable points of the structure.
Before that, the bridge had been targeted by aircraft and HIMARS rockets, but because of the specifics of its construction it remained undamaged.
For the mission they used the British heavy drone Malloy T-150. The article says that this craft was developed as a “flying motorcycle” for farmers, and is used by the British Army for cargo delivery.
The Ukrainians turned it into a device for planting explosives. Over 60 days the drone carried out 30 sorties. In total, 1.5 tonnes of explosives were delivered.
Each operation involved lowering on a cable a specially designed 50-kilogram charge precisely onto the vulnerable points of the supports.
After the drones critically damaged the bridge structure, a final missile strike ultimately brought down the crossing. Now the occupiers are forced to supply their forces on the islands by boat, which is much slower and makes them easy targets for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, The Telegraph writes.