Russia-Ukraine War — 2026-04-24

Azov Brigade and Unmanned Forces Strike FSB Base in Occupied Donetsk, Reportedly Killing 12 Officers

Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces and the Azov 1st Corps struck the FSB's Mobile Operations Directorate command post in occupied Donetsk on April 23 using eight FP-2 drone strikes carrying 60–100kg warheads, killing 12 officers and wounding 15 for a total of 27 casualties. The targeted unit was responsible for sabotage operations, building intelligence networks, recruitment, and coordinating terrorist attacks in the Donetsk region. A separate drone strike on the Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company, a Rosneft subsidiary previously identified by Ukrainian sources as a producer of explosive components, killed one person and sparked a fire at its Samara Oblast facility.

Analysis
The coordinated Azov-Unmanned Systems Forces strike on an FSB command post represents a high-value targeting operation against Russia's intelligence infrastructure rather than a conventional military engagement, with the Mobile Operations Directorate's responsibility for sabotage networks and intelligence recruitment making it a counterintelligence target. The eight-drone strike package carrying 60-100kg warheads demonstrates institutional integration of Ukraine's dedicated drone branch with elite infantry for precision strike missions. The separate Novokuibyshevsk refinery strike against a Rosneft subsidiary previously identified as an explosives component producer reflects Ukraine's expanding deep-strike campaign against Russian defense-industrial supply chains.

2 sources

Azov and Unmanned Forces Strike FSB Base in Temporarily Occupied Donetsk, Killing 12 Officers - Ukraine Today
Azov and Unmanned Forces Strike FSB Base in Temporarily Occupied Donetsk, Killing 12 Officers - UNITED24 Media