Two bridges on the Russian side of the Ukrainian border have been destroyed by Ukrainian forces in an operation that showed how low-cost, first-person-view (FPV) drones are changing modern warfare. The attack, by the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, targeted Russian ammunition and mines hidden under the bridges in Russia’s Belgorod region, close to the border with Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.

The two bridges targeted in the attack were used by Russian forces to store ammunition and resupply their units near the frontline, according to Ukrainian officials. Russian troops had mined the bridges before the attack and were preparing them for destruction in the event of a Ukrainian breakthrough.

In February 2022, during the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine destroyed several bridges leading toward the capital Kyiv in a bid to slow the Russian advance and protect the city. The tables have now turned, with Ukrainian forces reportedly adopting a similar tactic against the Russian military.

Suspicions of Hidden Supplies

“The 58th Brigade suspected something was up at one of the bridges after it noticed suspicious activity in the area,” CNN quoted the unit’s representative as saying. As standard reconnaissance drones could not fly under the bridge without losing connection, the brigade sent in a first-person-view drone with fiber optics to investigate.

Under the bridge, the drone discovered a large cache of anti-tank mines and other ammunition. “We discovered the mines and decided to strike,” the representative added.

Footage released by the 58th Brigade shows the drone approaching the bridge, identifying the mines, and then exploding in a large blast. A second camera nearby recorded the explosion from afar. CNN geolocated the bridge to the Russian Belgorod region, which borders Kharkiv.

The success of the first attack emboldened the unit, which inspected another bridge and found it was also mined. It then sent in another drone, which was also detonated by the explosives under the bridge.

“(We) saw an opportunity and took it,” the 58th Brigade said, in a statement. The attacks were not only bold but also remarkably inexpensive. The two drones cost between 25,000 and 30,000 Ukrainian hryvnias each, or $600–$725. In comparison, other weapons used to destroy bridges at such a distance and depth behind the frontline have cost many times more.

Guided missiles or precision-guided munitions are required to hit such long-range targets, for example. Ukraine has previously used U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launcher systems to strike infrastructure deep inside Russia in Kursk region. Each HIMARS launcher costs many millions of dollars while individual rockets cost tens of thousands. In contrast, the Belgorod strikes were conducted with drones that cost less than a smartphone.

Affordable FV Drones Play Growing Role

The successful strikes are a testament to how relatively cheap drones are now reshaping the battlefield, allowing Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russian territory while conserving its Western-supplied munitions. Drones are not a new phenomenon in the war but have recently been used to devastating effect by Ukraine.

In June, Ukrainian forces used small drones smuggled near Russian military airfields to destroy or damage dozens of aircraft. “Operations like this show how even modest technology can be used to great effect when deployed creatively,” said military analyst Mykola Bielieskov. Drones, which cost hundreds of dollars each, have provided Ukraine a way to counter Russia’s much larger arsenal with fewer resources.

Damaging Blow

The strikes in Belgorod come at a time of mounting pressure for Ukraine on the frontlines, where Russian forces are grinding forward in the east. Moscow is also continuing a campaign of near-daily missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, while Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that he had not given up on the idea of continuing offensive operations instead of a ceasefire.

Against this difficult backdrop, the destruction of two bridges provided Kyiv with a much-needed moment of good news.

Russia has not yet commented on the strikes. Still, the destruction of the bridges will make it harder for it to maintain its logistics in the Belgorod region, where Moscow will now have to transport supplies further to reach troops near the Ukrainian border.

Pressure Breeds Innovation

The strikes on Belgorod also serve to highlight a broader reality for Ukraine’s military: that innovation is key to survival. The war has shown the Ukrainian forces cannot simply out-gun or out-number their Russian opponents. Kyiv must instead improvise. The growing use of FPV drones is one such example.

Units have been assembling drones with commercial parts and then modifying them with help from volunteers in the rear. “The value of these drones for us cannot be overestimated,” the 58th Brigade representative said. “They allow us to produce results that would have otherwise been impossible without the use of weapons we simply do not have.”

As the war grinds on, Ukraine’s capacity to adapt and use innovative tactics to strike creatively deep inside Russian territory may prove decisive in overcoming Moscow’s battlefield advantages. For now, two destroyed bridges in Belgorod are a vivid testament to how even small and inexpensive weapons can have strategic effects.