Ukraine Claims Strikes in Russia, Destroying MiG-29 and Damaging Vessels

During Ukraine’s Independence Day celebrations, military commanders and President Volodymyr Zelensky reported successful drone strikes on Russian assets, infrastructure, and naval vessels.

Ukrainian Drone Operations in Russian Territory

“In the operational depth at the enemy’s rear, the Birds of SBS successfully worked on 66 hostile targets during the night of August 24,” announced SBS commander Major Robert “Madiar” Brovdi on Telegram.

The military official suggested that his units also attacked the logistics centers of Ozon, a leading Russian e-commerce company, including warehouses in Krasnodar, Makhachkala, and the Republic of Dagestan.

Targeted Military Assets and Radar Systems

The SBS commander reported that a MiG-29 was targeted in Dolotinka, located in the Rostov Oblast in southwestern Russia, alongside four radar complexes: two Kasta-2E2 stations and a Nebo-SV station, plus an ST-68 station in Rozdilne in occupied Crimea.

Brovdi added that a special unit base of the SOBR in Strileche in the temporarily occupied Kherson Oblast, several energy hubs, and two shadow fleet vessels—a tanker and a bulk carrier—in the Black Sea were also attacked and destroyed.

Walpurgis Night on Russian Logistics Routes

According to his account, 11 enemy deployment points were burning in the occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts, with the Ukrainian commander describing a “Walpurgis Night” along the logistics route known by Russians as “Novorossiya.”

Concluding his Telegram post, Brovdi extended greetings for Ukraine’s Independence Day, summarizing with the statement: “We will survive. Moscow will fall.”

Historical Ties and Geopolitical Reflection

In 1991, Poland sent a clear signal by recognizing Ukraine, proving to be an ally rather than an enemy in what Ukrainian historian Yaroslav Hrycak called a geopolitical miracle in an interview with Wyborcza.pl.

Hrycak’s remarks coincided with broader reflections on Independence Day regarding Ukraine’s ongoing struggle and the need for steadfast international support.

President Zelensky’s Independence Day Address

In his Independence Day address on Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the extreme difficulty of the current situation while emphasizing the sustaining power of mutual support and unity among Ukrainians.

Addressing Russian leadership, Zelensky stated that Putin relies on exhaustion while being mortal himself, adding that Russia has lost its refineries, fleet, revenues, and a generation sent to the meat grinder.

Zelensky expressed gladness that the United States has shed illusions about Russia’s intentions, urging that Russians must be brought to the negotiating table through severe sanctions and full support for Ukraine.

Journalistic Accounts from Kyiv

Reflecting on reporting from the capital, Jędrzej Słodkowski wrote in Wyborcza.pl that out of 18 days spent in Kyiv, only three nights passed uninterrupted, with the remaining 15 disrupted by air raid alarms and sheltering.