Ukraine Hits Russian Drone Port at Occupied Donetsk Airport as Peace Talks Continue

Ukrainian forces struck a Russian drone launch site at the occupied Donetsk airport, the Kyiv Independent reported ^[1]. The 412th Brigade of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces announced the strike on Telegram and said its goal is fewer enemy drones over Ukrainian cities, by hitting the infrastructure they are launched from as well as shooting them down ^[1].

The target

The airport in the city of Donetsk has been occupied by Russia and its proxies since 2014, the Kyiv Independent reported ^[1]. Once a modern civilian airport, it was destroyed in fighting years ago and has since been used by Russian forces. The brigade described the attack as a "middle strike" operation and released footage of it, though it gave no details on the damage ^[1].

A night of strikes inside Russia

The Donetsk strike was one of several. Ukrainian drones also reportedly hit the Ust-Luga Baltic Sea port in Russia's Leningrad region overnight, according to monitoring channels cited by the Kyiv Independent ^[2]. Russia claimed it intercepted 146 drones over the Leningrad region, Al Jazeera reported ^[3].

Earlier in the week, Ukrainian forces hit the Morozov plant near St. Petersburg, which makes fuel for Russia's Iskander ballistic missiles, and Ukraine's General Staff said three production workshops were damaged at once, the Kyiv Independent reported ^[1]. Drone strikes also damaged a bridge and energy facilities in Russia's Rostov region ^[1].

Why drone ports matter

Russia has launched waves of attack drones at Ukrainian cities night after night, aiming at power plants, apartment blocks and rail lines. Every drone that is never launched is one Ukrainian air defenses do not have to shoot down, and one less family woken by sirens. Striking the places where drones are stored and launched is cheaper and more effective than chasing them across the sky, which is why Ukraine has made these targets a priority.

Talks continue amid the fighting

The strikes came as American, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Abu Dhabi ^[3]. Deutsche Welle reported that the two days of talks in the United Arab Emirates, the first such meeting since February, have now wrapped up ^[4]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said security guarantees for Ukraine must also be acceptable to Russia, the Kyiv Independent reported ^[1].

What it means

The fighting on the ground is a reminder that any peace deal will have to hold against a war that is still very much underway. Ukraine is showing it can hit back deep inside Russia, which strengthens its hand at the table. Russia is showing it intends to keep pressing. American taxpayers have invested heavily in this fight, and they deserve a peace that lasts, not a pause that lets the shooting start again.