Key facts
- Ukraine's Azov Regiment conducted drone strikes on electrical substations and repair facilities at the strategic seaport of Mariupol.
- The operation, confirmed by Reuters, plunged the port into a blackout.
- The strikes are part of Ukraine's expanding campaign to disrupt Russian military logistics behind front lines.
- Col. Arsen Dmytryk, First Corps Azov's chief of staff, stated more operations are planned.
- The Azov Regiment has expanded significantly since 2022 and is considered a premier fighting force in drone warfare.
Four years after Ukraine's Azov Regiment surrendered the last of Mariupol to Russian forces in May 2022, the unit has rebuilt and is now targeting Russian military logistics in and around the occupied city. The regiment conducted an operation last week that struck electrical substations and repair facilities at Mariupol's strategic seaport, plunging it into a blackout. This attack is part of Ukraine's expanding campaign to disrupt Russian supply lines deep behind the front lines.
Col. Arsen Dmytryk, chief of staff for First Corps Azov, told Reuters that dozens more such operations are planned to demonstrate the unit's capabilities. He acknowledged that driving Russia out of Mariupol, located 120 km behind the front lines, is a "long game" that could take 20 years, but expressed confidence in eventual recapture.
The port strike, carried out with Ukraine's drone forces and the SBU security service, occurred near the Azovstal steel mill where Azov fighters made their last stand in 2022. The operation follows months of strikes on critical roadways in Russian-occupied parts of the Donetsk region, including Mariupol, aimed at disrupting Russian supply lines. Footage posted by the corps shows drone operations targeting army vehicles and central Mariupol.
Russia is reportedly expanding Mariupol's seaport as a key hub and pursuing construction projects in the city. Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-installed head of the Donetsk region, downplayed the damage from Azov's strikes and stated that repair crews work around the clock, while also noting Russia's efforts to counter drone threats with electronic warfare and mobile firing units.
According to a corps drone officer, Azov's primary objective is to choke enemy cargo, particularly fuel, moving through key nodes like Mariupol and Donetsk. The routes under attack include the M14 linking Mariupol with Rostov and the H20 heading north to Donetsk. Ukraine's military is also increasing strikes on logistics across the Russian-occupied 'land bridge' connecting Russia with Crimea. Experts suggest these cumulative strikes degrade Russia's offensive tempo over time.
One of Azov's key weapons is the AI-assisted Hornet drone, modified by the unit with Starlink internet terminals to extend its range. The unit's operations also aim to accelerate an end to the fighting, with the hope of freeing over 700 Azov fighters from Russian prisons. The Azov Regiment, now formally under the National Guard, has expanded to a corps of tens of thousands of troops and is considered one of Ukraine's most advanced formations in drone warfare.