Ukraine's drone commander has Russian oil, troops and morale in his sights

At a secret underground launch site in eastern Ukraine, long-range drones are prepared for launch. The drones can travel more than 1,000 km, with some models capable of about twice that distance. The operation targets Russian energy facilities and military personnel, with President Zelensky describing deep strikes as very painful to Moscow and causing substantial losses in the energy sector. The command centre displays a real-time scorecard tracking each strike with video verification, and pilots operate under code names like KitKat and Antalya. The unit, described as accounts for a third of targets but only 2% of Ukraine's military, is presented as a strategic tool to deter Russian advances rather than launch a full counteroffensive. The article notes a second wave of strikes on a Tuapse refinery causing toxic rain, and Brovdi’s rhetoric references a broader aim to shock Russian public opinion and undermine support for the invasion.

In the past week before publication, Brovdi reported hitting a dozen Russian FSB security service officers in occupied territory as well as multiple energy facilities inside Russia itself.

The 414th Brigade, led by the call sign Magyar, has become a central part of Ukraine's deep strike campaign. Brovdi states that unmanned systems forces account for about a third of all targets destroyed, while comprising roughly 2% of Ukraine's military.

Robert Brovdi, an ethnic Hungarian from Uzhhorod, was a grain dealer and art collector before the war. Four years before April 2026, he joined Ukraine's Territorial Defence shortly before Russia's full-scale invasion and fought in battles including Bakhmut. While pinned down near Kherson, he recalled buying a device for his children that sparked a drone program in his unit, enabling drones to stream live images to artillery teams. Within months, his unit built drones and munitions, becoming known as the 414th Brigade, the Birds of Magyar.