Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian Druzhba oil pipeline, according to Forbes.

There is a possibility that a new type of Ukrainian drone dropped a so-called "belly bomb" on a pipeline, which may be part of an escalation in attacks on the Russian oil industry. On the evening of January 29 or the morning of January 30, drones from the 14th separate regiment of Ukrainian UAVs struck a pumping station of the Druzhba pipeline in the Bryansk region, as reported by Forbes.

The attack resulted in a bright flame at the pumping station, which was even captured by NASA satellites. "Judging by the brightness of the fire, the strike was precise," noted an analyst from WarTranslated in Estonia. The article emphasizes that Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil infrastructure for two consecutive years, primarily using drones with explosives that simply crash into targets. However, on the night of January 30, Ukrainian drones employed a new method - they began dropping bombs, as reported by the Telegram channel "Mykolaiv Vanyek."

Ukraine is also modifying civilian sport aircraft for remote control, which can carry up to 100 kg of explosives. Previously, drones primarily crashed into their targets, but now there are reports of bomb drops from the air. The Aeroprakt A-22 sport aircraft, loaded with explosives, has a limited range of up to 600 km. However, Ukraine continues to strike Russian targets at distances of up to 1200 km from the front line, which opens up new possibilities for long-range attacks.

The attack on the pumping station in the Bryansk region, located just 40 km from Ukraine, demonstrates that the range of bomber drones is not a limitation. They could drop bombs and return to base without covering excessive distances. However, it is also possible that the drones were not returned to base. Automated landing of such drones remains a complex task, and operators may have decided to send the UAVs for a second round to deliver an additional strike on the same target.

If larger Ukrainian drones are capable of dropping bombs, this will open up opportunities for round-trip operations if operators learn to successfully land the UAVs. In this case, drones could carry out multiple strikes on oil infrastructure, creating an effective reusable weapon.

It is worth noting that Russian media claim there was a drone strike on the oil infrastructure in Volgograd. Russian outlets are reporting a possible attack by Ukrainian drones on an oil refinery, a thermal power plant, and an oil depot in Volgograd.