UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Mar. 31 — Strix drone unit of the Ukrainian border guard detected and destroyed Russian storage of Molniya drones in north Kharkiv oblast, said the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

During aerial reconnaissance, Strix operators of reconnaissance and strike drones detected camouflaged storage sites for Molniya drones that Russian forces were preparing to use in attacks on Ukrainian military positions and civilian infrastructure in the Kharkiv region

Russians used Molniya for the first time in 2024. Back then, the explosive part in this drone  weighed nearly three kilograms.

The Molniya drones share features with Shahed and first person view (FPV) drones, including video transmission. However, Molniya has a longer range — up to  several dozen kilometers — said the Prosecutor’s Office in the Kharkiv region,in November 2024, commenting on the first reported Molniya attack on Kharkiv.

Later, the Prosecutor’s Office recorded the modified drones Molniya-1 and Molniya-2 attacks with the weight of explosive parts equaling 10 kilograms.

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