As a massive retail logistics center burned outside Moscow, Ukrainian drone operators hundreds of miles away in a southern Ukrainian sunflower field were already preparing their next deep-strike mission. The overnight strike, which targeted one of Russia's largest online retail warehouses, left the facility heavily ablaze, sending thick plumes of dark smoke into the sky. Yet, for the soldiers of Ukraine’s 413th Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems, known as "Raid," there was no time to celebrate. They quickly assembled around 20 small, domestically produced FP-1 planelike drones packed with explosives, preparing to send them deep into Russian territory.
The launch by the 413th Regiment on Sunday morning, August 16, 2026, offered a rare glimpse into a rapidly expanding and increasingly critical part of Ukraine’s war effort. Kyiv has significantly stepped up its long-range attacks this year, deploying swarms of drones and missiles to target Russian military industries, energy facilities, and major distribution hubs. Among the frequent targets are the massive depots of Wildberries, a Russian online retail giant, where fires have destroyed billions of dollars’ worth of merchandise. These strikes are designed to bring the direct consequences of the war home to the Russian public, nearly four and a half years after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to Yevhen Karas, the 38-year-old commander of the "Raid" regiment, his unit participated in the overnight strike on the Wildberries warehouse, located about 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Moscow. The operation was part of one of Ukraine’s largest coordinated drone attacks on Russian territory to date. Karas explained that imposing a high cost on the Russian economy and population is essential to forcing a resolution. "If we want to get a stable and long period of peace, and normal peace," Karas said, Ukraine must continue to strike back. He added, "The bigger casualties they have, the sooner they will go for peace."
Kyiv’s broader strategic objective is to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiating a peace settlement by making ordinary Russians feel the domestic impact of the conflict. While Putin has shown no signs of halting the war, Karas remains confident that the economic toll of these long-range strikes will eventually force Moscow back to the negotiating table. This comes after months of U.S.-brokered talks between the two nations have stalled.
Before launching the Sunday morning wave of drones, Karas took out a black marker and wrote a poetic message on one of the FP-1 fuselages: "Moscow burns under the sky, red flame rises so warm and high, dark smoke moves above the town, fire lights the night all around." The gesture reflected the grim determination of a unit composed of people who, until recently, led entirely civilian lives.
Like most of Ukraine's current military force, Karas had a very different life before the invasion began on February 24, 2022. A university graduate who majored in philosophy, Karas and his brother Volodymyr both volunteered for service on the first day of the invasion. Volodymyr was later killed while defending the Kyiv region. In the years that followed, Karas transitioned to the Special Operations Forces, rising through the ranks to become an officer. In 2024, he was appointed to command the newly established 413th Raid Unmanned Systems Regiment.
The unit originally focused on reconnaissance and short-range battlefield tasks. However, as drone technology rapidly advanced and flight ranges extended to over a thousand miles, the regiment was tasked with conducting deep-strike operations using Ukraine’s domestically produced FP-1 attack drones. The members of the unit come from diverse backgrounds, including a former opera singer, a computer programmer, a rapper, and a cellist. Their daily routine has been reduced to a highly disciplined sequence: prepare the drone, verify its systems, position it, and launch.
The regiment's identity is encapsulated in its custom challenge coin. One side features the unit's insignia, a stylized three-prong arrow, while the reverse side depicts a relief of the Kremlin in flames with a drone flying overhead. Karas emphasized that Russia must adapt to a new reality where its own cities are vulnerable. "Muscovites should spend their nights in their wonderful metro, just as residents of Kyiv have spent years going underground to escape Russian missile and drone attacks," Karas remarked.
Once the 20 drones were successfully launched into the sky from the southern sunflower field, the soldiers of the 413th Regiment quickly packed up their equipment, loaded their vehicles, and drove away, leaving almost no trace of their presence as they moved on to their next launch site.
