The occupiers are deploying new drone units to the Kherson region

The occupiers are actively expanding their drone units operating in the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region. This involves not only increasing the number of operators but also significantly enhancing their combat capabilities.

OSINT analyst Brandon Kelly reported this in a special analysis for Kherson Weekly .

According to his data, three key Russian units are currently operating in the Kherson sector: “Delta,” the “Escadron” drone battalion, and the newly formed 50th Separate “Varyag” Drone Brigade. They operate at various levels of command—from tactical to strategic.

Kelly notes that the “Delta” group, which previously used mainly FPV drones, has significantly expanded its arsenal. It now employs ZALA reconnaissance UAVs, “Koshchey” heavy bombers, “Lancet” loitering munitions, FPV drones, and interceptor drones. It was precisely thanks to modern signal-relay equipment that this unit was previously able to effectively take control of the Kherson–Mykolaiv highway, forcing the Ukrainian side to install anti-drone nets and a traffic light system to warn drivers of attacks.

According to the researcher, the “Escadron” battalion was formed from the “Roy” group, which had been carrying out drone attacks on Kherson for nearly two years. After its expansion, the unit continued to strike not only military targets but also civilian infrastructure, police officers, gas stations, and civilians. In addition, “Escadron” is already using interceptor drones to combat Ukrainian drones.

Kelly pays particular attention to the 50th Separate “Varyag” Unmanned Systems Brigade, which reports directly to the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. According to him, the brigade carries out missions from Nikopol and Marganets to Kherson, and some of its groups have already been spotted in the Kharkiv direction as well. The unit uses not only aerial but also ground-based and surface unmanned systems.

In the analyst’s view, the expansion of such units indicates an attempt by Russia to close the gap with Ukraine in the field of unmanned systems. At the same time, he believes that the Ukrainian model for organizing UAV units remains more effective at present, although Russia is actively experimenting with new formats for their deployment.

As a reminder, Russian troops have used more than 12,000 drones in the Kherson sector since early May. The greatest threat to Ukrainian defenders currently comes from attack drones, which the enemy is deploying en masse.

Андрій Колісніченко