Russia’s Elite Troops and Stockpiles Wiped Out by Ukraine’s Precision Bombs

Ukrainian forces carried out several airstrikes on Russian positions in southern Ukraine, targeting artillery, a special forces group, and an ammunition depot, Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces wrote on Telegram on Saturday.

The attacks took place near the villages of Pobjedne, Myrne, and Zherebianky, in areas of the Zaporizhzhia region currently occupied by Russian forces. The strikes were shown in video footage released by Ukrainian officials.

In Pobjedne, a precision-guided bomb destroyed a Russian 2A36 “Hyacinth-B” 152-mm towed howitzer. A second bomb hit a field shelter where Russian gun crews were hiding.

In Myrne, Ukrainian aircraft used French-made AASM HAMMER bombs to strike a building where soldiers from Russia’s 22nd Separate Special Purpose Brigade had gathered, according to the footage.

A third airstrike hit a Russian ammunition storage site hidden in a forest near Zherebianky.

The video also showed Ukrainian drones hitting Russian troops and equipment. In one case, a drone carrying a thermite charge destroyed a 57-mm AZP-57 anti-aircraft gun and its shelter.

The AASM HAMMER is a French upgrade kit for regular bombs, adding a guidance system and a small rocket motor to help the bombs fly farther and hit targets more accurately. Depending on how high the bomb is dropped from, it can reach targets up to 70 kilometers away.

France makes two main versions of the AASM: the Hammer-250, which fits 227-kg Mk.82 bombs, and the Hammer-1000, which fits larger 908-kg Mk.84 bombs. The nose section can include GPS, infrared, or laser guidance.

Earlier, on April 20, Ukrainian forces shot down a rare Russian “Forpost” surveillance drone using a First-Person View (FPV) drone. The “Forpost” is a Russian-made version of Israel’s IAI Searcher Mk II drone.

The $7 million drone was hit at an altitude of 4 kilometers and reportedly crashed in Russia’s Kursk region.