(Kupiansk) – Ukrainian forces have scored a significant victory in the skies over the Kupiansk sector, destroying a staggering 133 enemy reconnaissance and combat drones in May alone. The achievement comes courtesy of the elite Team Topit of the 414th Separate Brigade, known for their precision and discipline in hunting down Russian aerial threats.
This milestone marks a dramatic increase from April’s record, where 96 enemy aerial assets were neutralised. May’s tally represents a 78 percent surge, as Team Topit pushed the limits of drone warfare, striking deep into Russian surveillance and combat operations.
Russian drones, commonly referred to by Ukrainian troops as “worms,” include deadly loitering munitions such as the Lancet, reconnaissance platforms like Orlan, Zala, Forpost and Merlin, and bombers like Albatross and Molniya. These flying menaces often penetrate up to 100 kilometres behind Ukrainian lines, locating targets and correcting artillery fire. Their destruction, Ukrainian commanders say, is no less critical than taking out Russian pilots or their drone launching positions.
Each of these drones carries a high price tag and is expensive and labour-intensive to produce. Unlike the mass-produced FPV drones that Russia launches in swarms of 20 or 40 per sortie, these platforms are harder to replace. This makes their elimination a strategic win for Ukraine, especially in a conflict where aerial dominance can determine ground success.
The Ukrainian counter-drone effort has been coordinated and relentless. Using both mobile strike units and advanced detection complexes, the “Birds of Madyar” – as they are called – have managed to keep the airspace increasingly clear of Russian eyes and weapons. Intelligence suggests Russian morale is cracking, with intercepted communications full of panic and complaints about Ukraine’s growing aerial defence capabilities.
According to available information, 146 aerial targets were hit in total during May, with 133 destroyed specifically over the Kupiansk sector of Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Team Topit, a company-sized unit, has been working around the clock, though Russian propaganda wildly overstates their numbers, claiming there are 140 such units. Ukrainian commanders dismiss this, clarifying that only one company is operational – but with plans already underway to expand into a full battalion.
The wider effort by Ukraine’s 414th Brigade has also been impressive. Over the course of May, they detected 2,379 enemy FPV drones. Of these, 1,664 were destroyed, representing a 70 percent success rate. While FPVs are not tracked under the official verification programme, the sheer volume being downed is further evidence of Ukraine’s growing dominance in drone warfare.
Ukrainian drone warfare experts proudly declared that no other unit worldwide has ever achieved such a high number of enemy reconnaissance drone kills within a single month. Meanwhile, work continues to scale up operations, with hopes that a future battalion-sized unit will entirely shut down Russian aerial reconnaissance over Ukrainian skies.
