Inside the Ukrainian drone unit responsible for high-profile strikes

William Brangham:

Tonight, we give you an inside look into one of Ukraine's most rapidly evolving tools in its war with Russia, drones. These small unmanned machines have come to dominate the battlefield from the front line in the east to long-range strikes against power facilities to the waters of the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

Special correspondent Volodymyr Solohub gained rare access to a military unit that is responsible for some of Ukraine's highest-profile drone strikes.

And a note, we allowed them to review some of our footage before it aired for security reasons.

Volodymyr Solohub:

On a river outside of Kyiv, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence is taking us to one of their most prized weapons. They have helped push Russia's fleet away from occupied Crimea, disrupted supply lines, and changed the balance of power at sea, naval drones operated by a unit known as Group 13, Magura 5, a kamikaze boat. Magura 7 outfitted with American missiles, inventing new weapons out of necessity.

Ukraine doesn't have its own navy. When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Ukraine lost almost all of its navy. So, when the new invasion in 2022 started, Ukraine had to rely on unmanned naval drones like these to fight a more powerful and much better equipped enemy. They're fast, effective, difficult to detect, and has caused Russia a lot of trouble.

Just last week, in a highly produced video, Ukraine showed off how its naval drone struck a Russian submarine. That helps keep the Western Black Sea open to Ukraine experts, and forces Russia's ships to dock in Novorossiysk in their own territory, well east of the occupied Crimean Peninsula.

Group 13's commander, who we promised to keep anonymous, explains his unit's core mission.

Group 13 Unit Commander (through interpreter): Little by little, we pushed the most active and most dangerous part of Russia's Black Sea fleet off the western part of the Black Sea. Right now, Russians do not keep anything that is valuable or important in Crimea. Everything is in Novorossiysk.

Volodymyr Solohub:

But even in Novorossiysk, Russia's fleet is not safe. From summer of 2023 to the spring of 2024, Ukrainian naval drones pummeled Russian ships hundreds of miles from Ukraine-controlled territory, including the patrol ship Sergey Kotov, which Ukraine said was worth $65 million.

It's an example of Ukraine using relatively cheap weapons to take down expensive Russian hardware.

Group 13 Unit Commander (through interpreter): In our missions, we work in flocks if we're talking about an open sea. For example, during the mission on Kotov, we were working in flocks and were hunting it. The ship was trying to hide between the commercial vessels and escape near the Crimea Bridge.

Volodymyr Solohub:

Group 13 even uses drones to strike Russian helicopters. But, recently, Ukraine's tactics have shifted. The drones are now striking Russia's so-called shadow fleet, the oil tankers Russia uses to evade sanctions and finance the war.

And Ukraine's drone targets aren't only military. Kyiv believes that one way to pressure Putin is to bring the war home to everyday Russians. Ukraine's built an army of long-range drones that have also targeted Russia's economic lifeblood, energy facilities, some as far as 600 miles away.

At one point this year, long-range Ukrainian drones took down more than 10 percent of Russia's refinery capacity. Just last week, long-range aerial drones struck a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean Sea, 1,200 miles from Ukraine's border.

Inside an unmarked hangar, the Beaver is a 200-pound kamikaze drone capable of traveling up to 600 miles. This commander also asked us to keep him anonymous.

Group 13 Unit Commander (through interpreter): With our deep strikes, we're targeting Russian fuel bases, logistics hubs, command headquarters. And this forces them to move all of this away from the front line. And thus their logistics take more time.

Volodymyr Solohub:

But Russia is way ahead of Ukraine with its own deep strikes. Over the last week alone, Moscow launched an average of 726 drones, mostly at energy and infrastructure targets.

And Russia's ability to manufacture drones exceeds Ukraine's. At this factory shown on Russian TV earlier this year, workers claimed they manufactured more than 400 per day. But, at sea, Ukrainians are still on the offensive.

Group 13 Unit Commander (through interpreter): We're fighting for our survival. We have no choice but to fight.

Volodymyr Solohub:

As the war continues, unmanned systems are reshaping the battlefield. And as both sides brace for what comes next, Ukraine's unmanned army is now an increasingly central part of the fight.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Volodymyr Solohub in Kyiv, Ukraine.