A Ukrainian drone operator has revealed the moment his regiment scored a ‘juicy hit’ that devastated a military oil facility deep inside Russia.
The operative told how a ‘sleepless night’ led to the strike on the storage depot used by Moscow’s heavy bomber fleet which fires cruise missiles at civilian targets across the border — including in his parents’ city.
Speaking under the codename ‘Shrek’ about his role in one of the attacks on the Engels-2 base and nearby facilities, he said: ‘I’m glad I could make them and others a bit safer for a while.’
The deep strike operator with the 14th Separate Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Regiment has been involved in hitting targets up to 2,000km behind enemy lines, which have degraded the infrastructure behind Vladimir Putin’s war machine.
Overnight on Monday, Ukraine launched its largest drone attack of the war to date against Moscow, along with other targets inside Russia.
Flights were disrupted at all four of the city’s main airports — Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukova and Zhukovsky — as a result.
The attacks are part of Ukraine’s rapid development of the technology, made possible through its own innovations and the production of new drones as well as support from the UK and other allies.
The Engels and Engels-2 facilities, located close by in Saratov Oblast around 400 miles from free Ukraine, host strategic aviation, including Tu-95 ‘Bear’ and Tu-160 ‘Blackjack’ heavy bombers.
Both aircraft, which carry long-range cruise missiles, have been used in the Kremlin’s unrelenting assault on the neighbouring country’s energy grid and other critical national infrastructure.
‘One of our recent big hits was a fuel depot at the Engels-2 airfield in Russia’s Saratov oblast,’ Shrek said.
‘This airfield is a base for the enemy’s strategic bombers, namely Tu-95 and Tu-160, which regularly carry out missile strikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and residential buildings.
‘The operation was complicated as usual, but a sleepless night had paid off, and we managed to score a juicy hit.
‘As far as I know, the fuel depot was burning for almost two weeks straight, severely impeding the bombers’ capacities.’
The ‘double tap’ strike was carried out by the regiment and other Ukrainian Defence Forces units in January 2025.
The first, on the 8th, resulted in a huge fire which raged for six days at the Kristall oil depot containing up to 800,000 tonnes of rare jet fuel.
A day after the fires were finally extinguished a second hit reignited the facility, with huge plumes of fire and smoke shown rising high into the sky in a mobile phone clip. The operation was noted by the UK Ministry of Defence, which posted a satellite image of 14 damaged or destroyed oil tanks at the large facility close to Engels-2.
‘My parents live in one of the major Ukrainian cities, which is often targeted by Russian cruise missiles,’ Shrek said.
’I’m glad I could make them and others a bit safer for a while.’
In a statement at the time, the 14th said the bombers were involved in ’terrorizing Ukrainian civilians’ and it had helped the responding firefighters ‘keep their jobs in the dire economic environment of Russia.’
Shrek has previously told how his regiment is a prized target for Russian air strikes, even though he is not ‘in a cold trench with my rifle.’
The 14th nevertheless has no shortage of combat experience having been formed in 2022 by Special Operations Forces veterans including an officer with the codename Fidel, who was part of a battle group which was the first to strike the enemy’s deep rear with drones.
Shrek was asked by Metro what it was like seeing a successful hit, which often has devastating results that can be seen for days.
‘What do I feel? Satisfaction for a job well done, I guess,’ he replied.
‘The enemy’s hurt, and we’re one step closer to victory.
‘There’s no time for big celebrations though, that’s for after we win.’
Ukrainian long-range drone strikes continued through Donald Trump’s pause in US military aid and intelligence sharing, which ended yesterday.
Kyiv has since backed a US proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire with Russia, covering rockets, drones and bombs in the Black Sea and along the entire front line. The Kremlin has yet to respond.
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