Over 120 Russian GRU troops were killed and wounded in Friday drone strike, commander says (VIDEO, MAP)

Ukrainian drone forces commander Robert Brovdi has stated that a recent drone strike in the Russian-occupied coastal town of Berdianske resulted in more than 120 casualties among Russian military intelligence personnel, including over 51 killed, according to operationally confirmed intelligence.

Ukrainian commander reports confirmed GRU losses in Berdianske

The commander of the Ukrainian Army's Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, reported on 28 December that the Russian GRU’s 14th Brigade suffered major losses during a joint operation by SBS and Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) in occupied Donetsk oblast. The GRU is the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

According to Brovdi's figures, 51 Russian servicemen were killed and 74 were wounded. The number of those missing or potentially buried under rubble has not been disclosed.

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Brovdi emphasized that these figures are based on confirmed operational intelligence but not included in the SBS’s formal tally system, as the latter requires video documentation of fatalities, which was not possible in this case.

The attack reportedly struck both the GRU’s command post and personnel housing in Berdianske, Donetsk Oblast. The strike was carried out by external drone pilots of the 1st Separate Center for Unmanned Systems — formerly the 14th Separate Regiment. The 14th GRU Brigade targeted in the attack is based in Russia's Ussuriysk.

Five buildings targeted in coordinated drone strike

The Ukrainian OSINT channel Cyber Boroshno noted that the drones struck five separate buildings, with one being hit twice. The operation employed domestically developed FP-1 or FP-2 drones to carry out the precision strikes, Militarnyi says. 

Both the command center and living quarters of the GRU unit were hit during the mission.

Strike may represent historic GRU loss

If Brovdi's figures are accurate, Militarnyi says, the 26 December operation marks the largest single-day loss for both the 14th GRU Brigade and Russia’s Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU) overall. For context, combined GRU losses during both Chechen wars reportedly totaled around 320 operatives — meaning this one strike could represent nearly half that number.