"Bars, Gladiator and Firepoint": Ukraine Unveils Secret Drone Arsenal That Bombarded Moscow – Kyiv Names Jet-Powered UAVs as Zelenskyy Claims Battlefield Superiority

18 May 2026 | Kyiv & Moscow — Updated 19:45 GMT

KYIV – Ukraine's military has pulled back the curtain on the secret drone arsenal that humiliated Russian air defences over the weekend, naming three long-range strike systems — including a jet-powered UAV and a mystery drone never before seen by analysts — that carried out one of the largest pummellings of Russian territory since the full-scale invasion began.

The general staff of Ukraine's armed forces reeled off the list of aerial weaponry used to destroy targets in the Moscow region: the RS-1 "Bars" jet-powered UAV, the Firepoint FP-1 winged drone, and a previously unknown platform dubbed the Bars-SM Gladiator. The disclosure marks a rare public acknowledgment of Kyiv's deepening domestic drone production capacity, which has allowed strikes as deep as 500km (310 miles) into Russia.

Inside the Strike: Microchips for Missiles and a Critical Oil Pipeline

Ukraine's SBU security service detailed two primary targets in the Moscow region. The first was the Angstrom plant in Zelenograd, a facility that "specialises in the production of hi-tech products and microcircuits for high-precision weapons," the SBU said. "A fire was recorded on the territory of the facility. The enterprise is an important component of the Russian military-industrial complex and is involved in the production of microelectronics, radio electronics, optical systems, and robotics for the enemy's military needs."

The second strike hit the Solnechnogorskaya pumping station, described by the SBU as "a critical part of the ring oil pipeline around Moscow" used for pumping, storing and shipping large volumes of gasoline and diesel fuel — "in particular for the Russian army." A fire was also reported at that location. The strikes, the SBU added, "reduce the enemy's ability to continue its war."

Russian Denials and 'Drone Debris' — But AFP Saw the Launch

Russian authorities acknowledged at least four people were killed and a dozen more wounded, but repeatedly attributed damage to "drone debris" — a formulation that implies drones were shot down by Russian air defences rather than successfully striking their intended targets. Early on Monday, the Russian defence ministry sought to emphasise the role of its air defences, claiming 3,124 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the past week.

But Agence France-Presse, whose journalists were granted rare access to an undisclosed Ukrainian launch site, described battalion members preparing plane-like drones before they took off towards Russia, leaving trails of sparks and flames from their rocket boosters behind. The images showed the sheer scale of the operation that became one of the largest single bombardments of Russian territory in the conflict.

A Ukrainian long-range drone, potentially a Firepoint FP-1, awaits launch at an undisclosed location in Ukraine ahead of the attack on targets in the Moscow region.

Zelenskyy: 'A Shift in the Balance' — Ukraine Outpacing Russia on Battlefield

In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said taking the war to Moscow was "entirely justified" and delivered a striking claim: on Sunday, Ukrainian troops' combat operations on the battlefield outnumbered Russian ones — "a very significant result."

"Much has been accomplished this year, and a shift in the balance of activity on the frontlines is noticeable," Zelenskyy said, suggesting that Ukraine is no longer merely reacting to Russian offensives but increasingly setting the operational tempo.

Within Ukraine, the SBU said, a Russian command post in the Bunge area of Donetsk region and enemy UAV control points were hit in the Dvorichnaya area of Kharkiv region, Zavitne in Kherson region, and Udachne in Donetsk region. "In addition, Ukrainian soldiers struck enemy manpower concentrations in the areas of Myrne (Donetsk), Krasnohirsk (Zaporizhzhia), Volfinsky (Kursk region of the Russian Federation), as well as two concentrations of occupiers in the Novoekonomichesky district of the Donetsk region."

Russian Strikes Continue: Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson Hit

Even as Ukraine celebrated its long-range successes, Russian drones and artillery continued to pound Ukrainian civilians. Ukraine's southern Odesa region came under a drone attack on Sunday night, with residential buildings hit, regional governor Oleh Kiper said. Casualty information was still being clarified.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, a car was hit in a Russian attack, injuring a woman and a man. In Kherson region, the regional prosecutor's office said a drone dropped explosives on a home, killing a man, while eight civilians were injured in attacks on regional cities and towns. The dual reality of the war — Ukrainian drones striking deep inside Russia while Russian attacks kill civilians daily inside Ukraine — remained starkly visible.

Nato Tensions Rise: Drone Crashes in Lithuania, Alert in Latvia

A suspected Ukrainian military drone was found crashed in Lithuania on Sunday, the Lithuanian government's crisis management centre said. The drone was not detected when it entered Lithuanian airspace and was not armed with explosives, said centre chief Vilmantas Vitkauskas. It crashed near the village of Samane, 40km from the Latvian border and 55km from Belarus. Kyiv had not commented by Monday evening.

Separately, the Latvian army said a drone alert was issued on Sunday morning along its border with Russia, and Nato military fighters were summoned to the area. One drone entered Latvia for a short time during the alert, the army said.

Since March, several stray Ukrainian drones have entered the airspace of Nato members Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which border Russia and its ally Belarus. Kyiv has insisted the drones were aimed at military targets in Russia but sent off course by Russian countermeasures. The incidents have already had political consequences: Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina fired her defence minister after one such episode, leading to the collapse of her government.

'Madyar' Defends Long-Range Strikes: 'Legitimate Targets Anywhere'

The commander of Ukraine's drone forces, Robert Brovdi — known by his call sign "Madyar" — has forcefully defended the strategy of long-range attacks into Russia. In an interview with Agence France-Presse conducted before the weekend's massive 600-drone wave, Brovdi said: "The sources of funding for Putin's war expenses … have become legitimate and priority military targets in any area, in any part of the territory of the occupying country, whether we are talking about the south, the Urals, or Siberia."

The interview, now published, underscores Ukraine's stated intention to continue striking far beyond the front lines, targeting Russia's economic and military-industrial base. With the weekend attack demonstrating a newly revealed arsenal and unprecedented scale, the drone war shows no sign of abating — and the list of Ukrainian weapons known to Moscow just got longer.

Stay updated with the latest war coverage on our Russia-Ukraine War Page.