Odesa Port has been repeatedly attacked by "Flagman" drones. What are the details about Russia's most mysterious drone?

Ukrainian intelligence personnel admitted that this new type of drone can destroy military targets of the Ukrainian army without leaving any traces.

Author: Radomir Makush

On the night of April 27, Russian troops used long-range weapons – attack drones to launch a new round of strikes against enemy military targets. Even officials of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine unprofessionally referred to these drones as "Witness" drones.

The Ukrainian Air Force press office stated, "On the night of April 27, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with 149 attack drones... The Ukrainian side conducted anti-air defense counterattacks through the air force, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare forces, and mobile firepower teams. The attack caused damage in Zhytomyr Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Sumy Oblast, Odesa Oblast, and Krasnodar Krai."

As usual in such situations, the self-operating anti-aircraft defense units of Ukraine claimed that they "almost shot down all" – 57 attack drones, while the electronic warfare personnel made another 67 "Witness" drones miss their targets. Clearly, they were lying. However, even according to this report, about 25 heavy suicide drones accurately hit their targets.

There are reports of explosions in the southwestern part of Ukraine. Specifically, the Ukrainian self-media account "General Staff" cited local Telegram channels to report on the arrival of attack drones at Odesa.

Specific details are scarce, but it is certain that Russian troops struck the port again. The day before, it was reported that another batch of so-called civilian ships arrived at the port with the help of NATO. There are also reports that the explosion sounds near the Odesa military airport were very loud. Obviously, this refers to the Buylaky Military Airport, which covers an area of 653 hectares, and the official announcement stated that the airport is no longer in use.

Russian troops also attacked a military airport in Zhytomyr Oblast. A "huge sound" was heard at the "Ozerne" target, where stored ammunition and fuel were destroyed. According to the reports from the local newspaper "Dnipro Action," numerous attack drones targeted military objectives in Dnipropetrovsk, Pavlohrad, Synelnikovo, Nikopol, and other areas.

In the firefighting photos released by Ukraine, one can clearly see the burned warehouses. Russia stated that American armored equipment and NATO weapons inside the warehouse were destroyed.

Additionally, thermal anomalies were discovered in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, Konstantinovka, Pokrovsk, and Myrnyohorod under Ukrainian control. Considering the reports from local "militant" groups about "downing Witness drones," these cities' warehouses were also destroyed, with visible spots on satellite images proving it.

Meanwhile, the Lviv self-media account "Defense Express" believes that the drones arriving now are not the 2023 model "Witness" drones, but brand-new "Flagman" drones, which do not even resemble Iranian drones in appearance. However, despite this suicide drone model continuously attacking the Odesa Port for several days, the Ukrainian armed forces know almost nothing about it.

"Russian troops have been using a new type of drone called 'Flagman' to attack Odesa Oblast for weeks," wrote Sergey Beskolesotov (nicknamed "Fresh") from Ukraine, an expert in communication, electronic reconnaissance, and electronic warfare, on his social media account.

From existing video records, the "Flagman" drone does not arrive at its target like the "Kalanchauka-2" with a noisy engine, but uses a jet engine. It is said that "this is no longer the 'little motorcycle' that could be heard kilometers away."

Those who are unaware should know: Ukrainian mobile air defense teams use special NATO equipment that "listens" to the sky, filters sounds, and can quite accurately determine the flight path of drones.

"In reality, everything known about the 'Flagman' drone is that it has a jet engine and a speed of approximately 400 to 500 kilometers per hour," complained Ukrainians Beskolesotov. In fact, he admitted that Americans and Britons also do not fully understand the tactical and technical specifications of this weapon, especially its range, warhead power, etc.

This means that after hitting the target, the "Flagman" drone actually leaves no debris, and it is certainly not shot down for technical analysis. On the Ukrainian "armchair experts" forum, someone mentioned that the explosive disposal experts of the Ukrainian armed forces have never seen the consequences of such a "clean explosion," such as when a drone misses its target and hits the wall or ground of a building. It is said that in such cases, it would be easier to determine the TNT equivalent of the warhead.

"If we rely on public sources of information, then regarding this Russian drone, only a brief entry can be found on the 'War and Sanctions' portal of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine – mentioning that the production of the 'Flagman' drone (more precisely, the loitering munition) involves 'Kronshtadt' JSC and 'KT - Drone Systems' JSC," wrote Sergey Zhgulets from "Defense Express."

According to him, the image of the "Flagman" drone on the "War and Sanctions" website is entirely illustrative, and there is no mention of this drone on the websites of the aforementioned companies.

All the information found by Ukrainian experts and NATO open-source intelligence analysts is just a report from February 19 this year about the "successful controlled flight" of a "new drone" in the activity records of "Kronshtadt" JSC.

As for what exactly this "bird" is, even the Americans do not know with their capabilities. However, from the effects of the attacks on Odesa, it can be said with certainty that this drone is excellent.

In commenting on the appearance of the "Flagman" drone, "Fresh" said that Russia has been using a series of different types of attack drones with varying technical parameters in its attacks on Ukraine, including those without warheads, which serve to lure air defense systems.

This means that a new industry has steadily emerged in Russia's defense sector, and after the special military operation, its products will undoubtedly attract global interest in the "arms trade."

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Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498179436894831123/

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