{"id":972,"date":"2025-03-12T12:37:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T13:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/?p=972"},"modified":"2025-03-18T23:07:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T23:07:56","slug":"drone-operator-named-shrek-says-this-is-for-my-parents-in-strike-on-putin-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/12\/drone-operator-named-shrek-says-this-is-for-my-parents-in-strike-on-putin-base\/","title":{"rendered":"Drone operator named Shrek says \u2018this is for my parents\u2019 in strike on Putin base"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ukrainian drone operators from the 14th Separate Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment have been conducting long-range strikes on Russia (Picture: 14th Separate UAS Regiment, @14reg_army\/Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Ukrainian drone operator has revealed the moment his regiment scored a \u2018juicy hit\u2019 that devastated a\u00a0military oil facility deep inside Russia.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The operative<\/a> told how a \u2018sleepless night\u2019 led to the strike\u00a0on the storage depot used by Moscow\u2019s heavy bomber fleet which fires cruise missiles at civilian targets across the border \u2014 including in his parents\u2019 city.<\/p>\n

Speaking under the codename\u00a0\u2018Shrek\u2019 about his role in one of the attacks on the Engels-2 base and nearby facilities, he said: \u2018I\u2019m glad I could make them and others a bit safer for a while.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

The deep strike operator with the 14th Separate Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Regiment<\/a>\u00a0has been involved in hitting targets up to 2,000km behind enemy lines, which have degraded the infrastructure behind Vladimir Putin\u2019s war machine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Overnight on Monday, Ukraine launched its largest drone attack of the war to date against Moscow, <\/a>along with other targets inside Russia. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Flights were disrupted at all four of the city\u2019s main airports \u2014 Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukova and Zhukovsky \u2014 as a result.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
A drone operation taking place under the cover of darkness on one of the highly complex missions undertaken by the 14th (Picture: 14th Separate UAS Regiment, @\u200c14reg_army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The attacks are part of Ukraine\u2019s rapid development of the technology, made possible through its own innovations and the production of new drones<\/a> as well as support from the UK and other allies. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The Engels and Engels-2 facilities, <\/a>located close by in Saratov Oblast around 400 miles from free Ukraine, host strategic aviation, including Tu-95 \u2018Bear\u2019 and Tu-160 \u2018Blackjack\u2019 heavy bombers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both aircraft, which carry long-range cruise missiles, have been used in the Kremlin\u2019s unrelenting assault on the neighbouring country\u2019s energy grid and other critical national infrastructure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018One of our recent big hits was a fuel depot at the Engels-2 airfield in Russia\u2019s Saratov oblast,\u2019 Shrek said. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
The long-range strikes inside Russia require meticulous planning (Picture: 14th Separate UAS Regiment, @\u200c14reg_army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018This airfield is a base for the enemy\u2019s strategic bombers, namely Tu-95 and Tu-160, which regularly carry out missile strikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and residential buildings. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018The operation was complicated as usual, but a sleepless night had paid off, and we managed to score a juicy hit. <\/p>\n

\u2018As far as I know, the fuel depot was burning for almost two weeks straight, severely impeding the bombers\u2019 capacities.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The \u2018double tap\u2019 strike was carried out by the <a href=\"https:\/\/14reg.army\/en\/the-14th-separate-uas-regiment-has-hit-the-engels-2-military-airfield-infrastructure-for-the-second-time\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/14reg.army\/en\/the-14th-separate-uas-regiment-has-hit-the-engels-2-military-airfield-infrastructure-for-the-second-time\/\">regiment<\/a> and other Ukrainian Defence Forces units\u00a0in January 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The first, on the 8th, resulted in a huge fire which raged for six days at the Kristall oil depot containing up to 800,000 tonnes of rare jet fuel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A day after the fires were finally extinguished a second hit reignited the facility, with huge plumes of fire and smoke shown rising high into the sky in a mobile phone clip.\u00a0The operation was noted by the UK Ministry of Defence, which posted a satellite image of 14 damaged or destroyed oil tanks at the large facility close to Engels-2.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"808\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22712443 lazyload\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GiejS-NW4AAbzWY-2af1.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The UK Ministry of Defence released an aerial picture of the oil dept showing the damage inflicted by Ukrainian drones (Picture: UK Government)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u2018My parents live in one of the major Ukrainian cities, which is often targeted by Russian cruise missiles,\u2019 Shrek said. <\/p>\n<p>\u2019I\u2019m glad I could make them and others a bit safer for a while.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In a statement at the time, the 14th said the bombers were involved in \u2019terrorizing Ukrainian civilians\u2019 and it had helped the responding firefighters \u2018keep their jobs in the dire economic environment of Russia.\u2019 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Shrek has previously told <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/06\/rare-insight-secret-ukrainian-unit-striking-putins-war-machine-1-240-miles-inside-russia-22679408\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/06\/rare-insight-secret-ukrainian-unit-striking-putins-war-machine-1-240-miles-inside-russia-22679408\/\">how his regiment is a prized target for Russian air strikes, <\/a>even though he is not \u2018in a cold trench with my rifle.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 14th nevertheless has no shortage of combat experience having been formed in 2022 by <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/01\/07\/inside-ukraine-shadow-warriors-daring-missions-within-russian-sights-20058128\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/01\/07\/inside-ukraine-shadow-warriors-daring-missions-within-russian-sights-20058128\/\">Special Operations Forces<\/a> veterans including an officer with the codename Fidel, who was part of a battle group which was the first to strike the enemy\u2019s deep rear with drones.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"646\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22712540 lazyload\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/F_cut-2be0-9301.png\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Fidel co-founded the 14th UAS Regiment after a background in the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine (Picture: 14th Separate UAS Regiment, @14reg_army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Shrek was asked by\u00a0<strong>Metro\u00a0<\/strong>what it was like seeing a successful hit, which often has\u00a0devastating results that can be seen for days.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018What do I feel? Satisfaction for a job well done, I guess,\u2019 he replied. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The enemy\u2019s hurt, and we\u2019re one step closer to victory. <\/p>\n<p>\u2018There\u2019s no time for big celebrations though, that\u2019s for after we win.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ukrainian long-range drone strikes continued through Donald Trump\u2019s pause in US military aid and intelligence sharing, which ended yesterday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Kyiv has since backed a US proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire with Russia, covering rockets, drones and bombs in the Black Sea and along the entire front line. The Kremlin has yet to respond.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"mailto:josh.layton@metro.co.uk\"><strong>josh.layton@metro.co.uk<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">\n<p><title>Arrow<\/title><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/09\/13\/ukrainian-hunter-killers-carrying-out-drone-hits-on-putins-forces-19493379\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">The Ukrainian \u2018hunter killers\u2019 carrying out kamikaze drone strikes on Putin\u2019s forces<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><title>Arrow<\/title><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/06\/rare-insight-secret-ukrainian-unit-striking-putins-war-machine-1-240-miles-inside-russia-22679408\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Rare insight into Ukrainian unit striking Putin\u2019s war machine 1,240 miles inside Russia<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><title>Arrow<\/title><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2022\/12\/06\/inside-ukraines-mystery-black-box-project-striking-back-at-russia-17887170\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Inside Ukraine\u2019s mysterious \u2018black box\u2019 project striking back at Russia<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ukrainian drone operators from the 14th Separate Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment have been conducting long-range strikes on Russia (Picture: 14th Separate UAS Regiment, @14reg_army\/Getty) A Ukrainian drone operator has revealed the moment his regiment scored a \u2018juicy hit\u2019 that devastated a\u00a0military oil facility deep inside Russia.\u00a0\u00a0 The operative told how a \u2018sleepless night\u2019 led to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russia-ukraine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=972"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":979,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/972\/revisions\/979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}