Ukrainian drones have targeted Russia’s Murmansk region at least twice in the past month, reaching over 2,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
These strikes are the farthest into Russian territory since the war began, raising questions about how Ukrainian drones are able to fly such long distances undetected. This was covered in a report by the Moscow Times.
Long-Distance Drone Strikes
The first reported strike in Murmansk occurred on August 21, forcing temporary flight restrictions at local airports. Unconfirmed reports indicated that drones were spotted near the closed military settlement of Vysoky.
On Wednesday, another attack led to similar flight disruptions, with the region’s governor confirming the presence of "enemy drones."
While only two attacks have been officially confirmed, locals have reported hearing and seeing drones in the region on multiple occasions throughout the past month, according to exiled opposition figure Violetta Grudina.
Could Drones Be Launched from NATO Territory?
Given the vast distance between Ukraine and Murmansk, some pro-Kremlin media outlets have speculated that the drones may have been launched from nearby NATO members like Finland or Norway.
Military experts have dismissed this theory.
David Sharp, an Israel-based expert, explained that it’s highly unlikely that Finland or Norway would risk becoming directly involved in the war.
“Finnish authorities would not only disapprove of such attacks but would try to prevent them by any means possible,” Sharp told The Moscow Times.
He added that any use of Finnish or Norwegian territory for such an attack would provoke an unwanted escalation with Russia.
Alexey Alshanskiy from the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) agreed, noting that while pro-Kremlin sources have previously accused Baltic NATO states of being used for drone launches, there has been no credible evidence to support these claims.
Ukrainian Drones’ Long-Range Capabilities
Experts believe that Ukraine is fully capable of launching long-range drone strikes from its own territory. Past attacks on Russian industrial sites, like those in Tatarstan and St. Petersburg, have shown that Ukrainian drones can travel significant distances.
“When it comes to long-range drone flights, light aircraft modified for unmanned control are often used,” Alshanskiy explained.
He added that the recent strikes on Murmansk highlight not only Ukraine’s ability to carry out these deep attacks but also potential gaps in Russia’s air defense systems.
One of the key questions surrounding these strikes is how Ukrainian drones are able to cover such large distances without being intercepted.
Alshanskiy pointed out that Russian air defenses are spread unevenly across the country and have been redeployed to protect sites deemed of higher priority by Russian authorities.
