Ukraine’s 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade said it had destroyed two bridges in Russia’s Belgorod region in a bold operation that highlighted the rising battlefield power of cheap, first-person-view (FPV) drones.

The blasts, which were confirmed by multiple Ukrainian officials, targeted supplies of Russian mines and ammunition that had been stored under the bridges on the Russian side of the border with Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.

Bridges Held Russian Supplies

In a statement, the 58th Brigade said the Russian military had mined the two bridges in advance and was preparing to blow them up if Ukrainian forces attempted to cross them in a sudden attack. Bridges are often mined in advance to keep Russian territory under the control of enemy forces.

Ukraine turned the same tactic against Russia when it invaded the country last February. In the first days of the full-scale invasion, Kyiv blew up several bridges leading toward Kyiv as it attempted to protect the capital.

Unit Sees Bridges as Opportunity

The 58th Brigade said it was patrolling the area around one of the bridges when it detected unusual activity near the structure. “It became clear that something was going on there,” a representative of the unit told CNN.

To gather more information, it deployed an FPV drone equipped with fiber optics under the bridge. Standard drones do not have a strong enough signal to operate underneath the bridge, the official added.

On inspecting the area, the brigade discovered large quantities of Russian ammunition, including anti-tank mines, that had been hidden under the bridge. “We saw the mines and we struck,” the brigade representative said.

Small Drone Conducts Cost-Effective Attack

A video of the attack published by the brigade on Telegram showed the drone maneuvering into position under the bridge before discovering the hidden stash of Russian ammunition. The drone then detonates in a huge explosion, while another camera positioned nearby captures the blast in the distance.

CNN geolocated the footage of the bridge to the Belgorod region, which is just across the border from Kharkiv. It is not clear when the explosions took place.

Buoyed by its success, the unit investigated another bridge in the area and also found that it was mined. A second drone was deployed under the bridge, which also resulted in an explosion. “(We) saw an opportunity and took it,” the brigade said.

Mission Was Remarkably Cheap

The operation was remarkable for its audacity as much as its cost. The drones used to destroy the bridges reportedly cost between 25,000 and 30,000 Ukrainian hryvnias, or $600–$725. Under normal circumstances, it would take expensive guided missiles or precision bombs to destroy bridges at such a distance.

For example, Ukraine has used U.S.-supplied HIMARS systems to target key infrastructure in Russia’s Kursk region. A single HIMARS launcher costs millions of dollars, while individual rockets can run in the tens of thousands. By contrast, the drones used by the 58th Brigade to destroy the Belgorod bridges were reportedly less than the cost of a smartphone.

On the battlefield, the successful attack is further evidence of how cheap drones are leveling the playing field, allowing Ukraine to hit targets deep in Russia without using up its limited supply of Western munitions.

Kyiv has previously shown a willingness to use the drones for maximum effect, having used small drones smuggled close to Russian military airfields to set dozens of aircraft ablaze.

“These types of operations show how even relatively modest technology can achieve outsized effects when it is used creatively,” said military analyst Mykola Bielieskov. Drones, which have been used by both sides since the start of the war, have given Ukraine a cheap way to counter Russia’s more numerous arsenal.

Rare Victory as Ukrainians Under Pressure

The news of the Belgorod bridge destruction also comes at a time when Ukraine is under intense pressure across the frontlines. Russian forces have been grinding forward in eastern Ukraine, while Moscow has also continued its near-daily barrage of missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.

President Vladimir Putin has also refused to budge on any sort of ceasefire until he has achieved his goals of continuing the offensive. Against this difficult backdrop, the success of the 58th Brigade in blowing up the bridges offered a rare piece of good news for Ukraine.

Russia has not yet commented on the blasts. But the loss of the two bridges is likely to complicate Russian logistics in the Belgorod region, where they maintain a number of supply lines to troops operating near the Ukrainian border.

The 58th Brigade’s use of FPV drones in Belgorod is illustrative of a wider war trend that Ukraine has increasingly had to innovate if it is to survive.

With Western supplies often in short supply and Russian forces possessing an overall advantage in numbers, Kyiv has increasingly had to improvise. Drones, which are often assembled using commercial parts and modified by volunteers, have become one of Ukraine’s most effective weapons.

“The value of these drones cannot be overstated,” said the 58th Brigade representative. “They allow us to achieve results that would otherwise require weapons we do not have.”

As the war grinds on, Ukraine’s ability to strike innovatively in Russian territory may well be key to compensating for Moscow’s battlefield advantages. Two destroyed bridges in Belgorod are a testament to that fact.