Inside Ukraine's secret mission to devastate Russian energy facilities

• Ukrainian soldiers are waging a drone war by flashlight, and it is turning the tide against Russia.
• The unit launches drones like Fire Point FP-1 on pre-programmed routes into Russia.
• Reporters recently accompanied these troops on a secret nighttime mission.

DNIPRO, Ukraine — There is an eerie silence in the middle of the night in a field in eastern Ukraine as Ukrainian soldiers prepare drones to strike inside Russia hours later. They have laid out the drones — FP-1 models loaded with explosives that look more like small propeller planes. Then the launch begins.

The whole world is talking about the soldiers here, waging the drone war by flashlight. In recent months, they have helped turn Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine to Moscow's disadvantage. They are giving Ukrainians hope again by striking oil and gas facilities inside Russia and carrying the war back to the country that started it.

BILD, a partner in the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network that includes Business Insider, spent one night with the Ukrainian unit known as the "1st Independent Center for Unmanned Systems," which operates under the strictest secrecy.

Total secrecy

The drone attack was supposed to happen much earlier. Then we get the call: Everything is being pushed back. It is shortly before midnight when we leave the major city of Dnipro and head farther east, toward the front. Ukrainian soldiers drive ahead. We stop at a gas station that has already been attacked. "Guys, don't smoke here — we only have one pump left," says a woman who is also waiting there in the middle of the night.

On every mission, the unit's biggest fear is being discovered. We have to switch off and hand over all our smartphones. One thing is clear: If Russian reconnaissance picked up what the soldiers were planning, there would probably be an immediate drone strike. But Ukraine is vast, and the soldiers go to great lengths not to attract attention.

The mission begins

We drive for an hour along dirt tracks to an abandoned house. From there, another vehicle takes us into the middle of a field. Finally, there they are in front of us: FP-1 drones made by the Ukrainian manufacturer Fire Point. A soldier with the codename "Phoenix," who is preparing the mission, explains how they work: "Basically, it is a completely normal aircraft. Like a civilian aircraft, it has an engine and navigation systems that guide it to the target." The soldiers' job is to get the drones into the air; after that, their automatic guidance system will take over. "They are not remotely piloted. They fly a pre-programmed mission." The engines often come from the category of small aircraft; precise details are kept secret.

The drones will travel up to 1,200 miles that night — more than enough to strike Moscow or the energy facilities that fuel its economy. "Phoenix" does not say exactly where they are headed. We do not know how many other drones are being launched in Ukraine that night. Nor do we know how many Ukrainian soldiers are standing in other fields, programming their targets. It takes more than one attack to overcome Russian air defenses. The drones fly in waves, perform maneuvers, and deceive the defenses so that, in the end, some of them hit their targets.

Russia under pressure

Phoenix" knows how dangerous every mission is. "We always expect that we ourselves could be attacked. That is why we take maximum security precautions." Those precautions — the secrecy around routes and meeting points — make for a sleepless night. But they may also save our lives. Because right now, nothing is putting Russia under as much pressure as Ukraine's long-range drone units.

In the darkened fight, the soldiers load the drones with explosives, ready them for launch — and move away. A few meters away, they prepare to start the engines. In the field, they crouch next to the small aircraft. The engine sounds like a large moped. Suddenly, there is a loud hiss as its rocket motor ignites. The first drone takes off. Then the next ones follow. Within minutes, they disappear one after another into the starry sky, on their way to Russia.

As we sit in the field, I ask myself: How dangerous is this really? And how is it possible that the Russians have not yet spotted us with their reconnaissance drones? A few minutes after the launch, we meet the unit's commander. It will take hours to know if the mission was successful. "Right now, we don't know. But we hope it will be successful." He makes clear how much work goes into an attack like this: "It is not just about launching the drones. Most of the work is planning and preparation."

For him, the fact that the soldiers themselves can become targets of Russian attacks at any moment is a daily reality. "Of course, this is a high risk. Russia understands the enormous impact of our work. That is why we ourselves are an important target."

'No choice but to be better'

The FP-1 drones, the commander says, are not conventional drones like the small first-person-view models used at the front. "They are large aircraft with large payloads. The technology behind them is significantly more complex." They are flown practically every night. "Every night. Depending on the planning, the target, and the route."

Asked why Ukraine is currently ahead of Russia in the drone war, he answers without hesitation: "Because we are in the right. Because we are defending our country and our freedom. We have no choice but to be better."

Then the commander says goodbye. The soldiers pack up their equipment and disappear into the darkness. High above them, the FP-1 drones continue flying toward Russia — for hours, deep into Russia's hinterland. The next morning, Russian state media report new drone attacks on oil refineries. At least one of the many drones that launched from Ukraine's fields got through.

Paul Ronzheimer is Deputy Editor-in-Chief as well as a war and crisis correspondent for BILD. In addition, he is a Global Reporter for Axel Springer, reporting not only for BILD but also for other outlets, including POLITICO and Business Insider. Since August 2023, he has hosted his daily podcast RONZHEIMER, where he talks about his work — primarily from conflict and crisis zones such as Ukraine and Israel — and discusses the major issues shaping world affairs with leading guests from politics and journalism.

Before the war in Ukraine, Vadim Moissenko worked as an entrepreneur. When the war in Donbas broke out in 2014, he began working as a camera operator, sound engineer, and line producer for various media and production companies. Today, he is a documentary filmmaker, visual artist, and producer for BILD.

Giorgos Moutafis has documented some of the world's most severe humanitarian crises and conflicts in more than 30 countries since 2006, including across the Middle East, the Balkans, Africa, and Latin America. His work has been published by outlets including BILD, Reuters, Newsweek, TIME, Al Jazeera, The New Yorker, CNN, and the BBC. Giorgos is based in Athens.

Lieven Jenrich is a reporter and producer for the RONZHEIMER.-podcast. Before taking this role he worked for Axel Springer's Crisis Management Team during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Axel Springer Global Reporters Network harnesses the resources of the company's newsrooms to publish ambitious scoops, investigations, interviews, opinion pieces and analysis. It allows journalists — including those from POLITICO, Business Insider, WELT, BILD, Onet and Fakt — to collaborate on major stories for an international audience of hundreds of millions across platforms: online, print, TV and audio.