Ukrainian drones destroy Russian Smerch-2 rocket launcher in Donetsk Oblast

Soldiers of the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, part of the Steel Lions unit, shared footage on Feb. 11 showing a rare Russian Smerch-2 anti-submarine rocket launcher being destroyed by drones in the Lyman sector of the front line in Donetsk Oblast.

Drones have played a pivotal role for both Ukraine and Russia throughout the full-scale invasion, used extensively for reconnaissance and combat operations.

According to the brigade’s statement, Russian forces had mounted a Smerch-2 anti-submarine rocket launcher on a Ural vehicle and concealed it in the forests of the Lyman sector before it was targeted and destroyed.

Ukraine has developed and deployed a wide range of aerial, naval, and ground-based drones for battlefield operations. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Kyiv delivered more than 200,000 domestically produced drones to front-line units in December alone.

The Smerch-2 is a Soviet-era rocket and bomb launcher designed to destroy submarines and attack torpedoes. It features a stationary installation with 12 radially arranged 213 mm caliber barrels and was adopted by the Soviet Navy in 1961.

Russian troops overrun Kurakhove, approach Pokrovsk east, south, and southwest

Russia keeps on advancing in eastern Donetsk Oblast, taking hold of Kurakhove, which would become the first major town to fall into Russian hands in 2025. Russian troops are continuing to push on the Lyman, Siversk, Kramatorsk, Toretsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhove axes, Ukraine’s General Staff said in i…

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova