Ukraine drones strike Russian radars

Ukraine’s drone war is getting more specific. Not just “we hit something in the rear” — but “we hit the radar that tells air defenses where to look, then the fuel and ammo beside it.” On Tuesday, May 12, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said operators from its 1st Separate Center struck two Russian radar systems in Donetsk region — a PRV-16 and a P-18 — along with a fuel depot, an ammunition storage site, and temporary deployment points. The unit said it worked with the Deep Strike Center, which handles longer-range attacks into occupied territory. ### What exactly got hit? The named targets matter. Ukraine said it hit a PRV-16 and a P-18, plus fuel and ammunition storage and troop staging points in Donetsk region. That is a mixed package — sensors, supplies, and personnel nodes together — which usually means the goal is not one dramatic explosion but a local drop in Russian battlefield awareness and staying power. (ukrinform.net) ### Why do those radar names matter? The PRV-16 is a height-finder radar. Basically, it helps tell an air-defense network how high a target is. The P-18 is an early-warning meter-band radar used to detect aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones. Put together, they help build the picture Russian air defenses need before they can track, assign, and engage targets cleanly. Take those pieces away and the network gets slower, patchier, and easier to stress. (ukrinform.net) ### Why hit old radars now? Because old does not mean useless. Soviet-designed systems like the P-18 and PRV-16 still do real work in layered air defense, especially when newer systems are scarce, dispersed, or being protected for higher-priority sectors. A height-finder paired with a search radar is like taking away depth perception from a guard tower — the guard may still see movement, but judging exactly what it is and how to respond gets harder. (ukrinform.net) ### Was this a one-off? Not really. It fits a pattern from the past few months. On May 5, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces released footage of strikes on a Russian Kasta radar, logistics sites in Donetsk, and troop deployment points in occupied territory. Earlier in January, Ukrainian forces also reported destroying a newer P-18-2 Prima radar more than 100 kilometers behind the front, alongside Tor-M2 and Tunguska air-defense systems. (radartutorial.eu) ### Why bundle radars with fuel and ammo? Because radars alone do not fight. A force needs fuel to move launchers and generators, ammo to keep artillery and air defense supplied, and protected staging areas to rotate troops. Ukraine’s drone units increasingly seem to be treating rear-area warfare like systems warfare — hit the sensor, then the warehouse, then the place crews regroup. That creates friction faster than chasing single vehicles one by one. (pravda.com.ua) This is an inference from the target mix Ukraine described. ### Does this change the front line immediately? Usually not in a dramatic map-moving way. One radar strike rarely collapses a sector overnight. But repeated losses force Russia to relocate systems, turn on backup radars, stretch crews, and expose replacement equipment. That matters because every workaround creates another signature for Ukrainian drones, artillery, or missiles to hunt. (ukrinform.net) ### So what is Ukraine trying to do here? Basically, make the occupied rear less safe and less functional. If Russian forces cannot reliably sense incoming threats, fuel their vehicles, stock ammunition, or shelter crews near the line, their defensive network gets thinner even before any assault begins. The point is cumulative pressure, not one cinematic hit. (pravda.com.ua) ### Bottom line? This strike matters less because the radars were famous and more because Ukraine keeps hitting the connective tissue — the sensors and supplies that let Russian forces hold ground. If that campaign keeps landing, Russia’s rear areas get noisier, blinder, and more expensive to defend. (ukrinform.net)