Russia Strike Hits All Three Underground Geran Drone Storage Sites Near Navlya
OSINT analysis of satellite imagery shows that a Ukrainian strike on 1 August hit all three underground storage facilities at a Geran-2 and Gerbera drone launch and storage site near Navlya in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, producing large craters and signs of secondary detonations. Russia strikes on Ukrainian positions have continued in parallel, yet the documented Ukrainian operation against the drone site stands out for its precision as captured in post-strike imagery.
Strike on Bryansk Drone Base
OSINT analyst Harbuz posted a satellite image showing the aftermath of a Ukrainian defence forces strike on a storage and launch site for Geran-2 and Gerbera drones near the town of Navlya in Russia's Bryansk Oblast on 1 August. [2] The strike targeted a storage and launch site for Geran-2 and Gerbera drones near the town of Navlya in Bryansk Oblast. [2] According to Dnipro Osint, the strike hit all three underground storage facilities used to store warheads and fuel for Geran and Gerbera drones. [2] The satellite image highlights impact craters and signs of secondary detonations following the strike on the drone base. [2]
Damage Assessment
The satellite image highlights impact craters and signs of secondary detonations following the strike on the drone base. [2] "We identified large craters at the explosion sites. Near one of the storage facilities, we also recorded signs of secondary detonations and fire spreading from the entrances to the underground shelter," Harbuz said. [2] In the analyst's assessment, the available evidence suggests that at least one of the three underground storage facilities was successfully hit. [2] Satellite imagery revealed impact craters at the explosion sites and signs of secondary detonations with fire spreading from entrances to at least one underground shelter. [2] OSINT analyst Harbuz assessed that at least one of the three underground storage facilities used for warheads and fuel was successfully hit. [2]
Satellite image shows craters and secondary detonations at Geran drone storage site near Navlya in Bryansk Oblast. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Broader Ukrainian Strikes on 3-4 August
Earlier, Ukraine's General Staff said that on the night of 3-4 August, the defence forces struck an artillery brigade's repair and maintenance base, a facility used to prepare strike drones, logistics warehouses, and other Russian military targets. [2] Ukraine's defence forces struck a number of Russian military facilities on the night of 3-4 August, including a temporary FSB unit deployment point in Kherson Oblast, a road and a railway bridge, as well as a command post and communications hub in occupied Bakhmut. [5] The General Staff reports that Ukrainian forces struck a temporary deployment point of an FSB unit in the village of Shchaslyvtseve in Kherson Oblast. [5] A road bridge over the Seim River near the village of Zvane in Russia's Kursk Oblast and a railway bridge over the Molochna River near the village of Svitlodolynskе in Zaporizhzhia Oblast were also struck. [5] The General Staff noted Russian forces had been using them for military logistics and the transfer of forces and equipment. [5] In addition, Ukraine struck Russian repair units in the village of Vovchanske in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Vilne in Donetsk Oblast. [5] In temporarily occupied Crimea, Ukrainian forces struck a communications and power supply point for a Shahed-type loitering munition relay in Olenivka, as well as an electronic warfare tower in Artemivka. [5] A Russian command post and communications hub were also struck in Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. [5] "Ukraine's defence forces will continue to systematically carry out measures aimed at ending the armed aggression of the Russian Federation." [5]
Russian Drone Attacks on Kherson Civilians
A vegetable seller in Kherson survived being taunted and then hit by a Russian first-person view (FPV) drone as he set up his market stall in Kherson on Aug. 4, Kherson Oblast Police said on Aug. 4. [1] The attack was captured on camera and shows the drone circling and chasing the man, identified as 52-year-old Yurii, before diving towards him and exploding. [1] "I was showing the drone, 'Look there are vegetables' but it started flying right at me," he said later in an interview from hospital posted by the Kherson Oblast military administration. [1] He suffered shrapnel wounds and a concussion during the attack. [1] Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Tuesday accused Russia of committing a war crime after a video was released showing a drone chasing down and wounding a street vendor in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. [3] Ukraine accuses Russia of war crime after video shows drone hunting market vendor. [4]
Satellite image shows craters and secondary detonations at Russian Geran drone storage site near Navlya after Ukrainian strike. — Source: newsmax
Civilian Impact and Local Accounts
Kherson Oblast Police spokesman Andrii Kovanyi told the Kyiv Independent that such scenes have been a daily occurrence in Kherson over the last two years, though few are caught on camera in such detail. [1] Russian forces do, however, regularly publish their own footage recorded by the drones despite the deliberate targeting of civilians constituting a war crime under international law. [1] Deploying the "full range of weapons at their disposal," Russian troops are "purposefully hunting" civilians from the occupied part of the city just across the Dnipro River, Kovanyi said. [1] "(Russian troops) do not hesitate in attacking people who are clearly, as can be seen in this video, civilians," he added. [1] Olga Suprunenko, a 47-year-old sales manager at Carlsberg Ukraine, is a regular at the market in the Tavriiskyi District in the northeastern part of Kherson, where the attack took place. [1] "We already live in constant fear," Suprunenko, whose 17-year-old son and her mother fled Kherson for western Ukraine, told the Kyiv Independent. [1] "(Russian troops) are simply hunting people, not allowing them to earn a penny. The man just came from a village to earn money." [1] While Kherson is also regularly targeted by glide bombs, Shahed-type drones, and artillery, the ruthless use of FPV drones to hunt civilians remains one of the biggest threats. [1] Suprunenko said residents need to be extremely careful when heading outside and minimize risk by making "short dashes" under trees and along buildings, and constantly monitoring local Telegram channels for potential threats. [1] She also described ambush drones, FPV drones that lay hidden on the ground waiting for a potential victim to approach. [1] Some delivery services have already stopped supplying grocery stores because Russian drones are attacking the trucks, she added. [1] "Life here in Kherson is like roulette, and we are afraid to even leave the house," Suprunenko said, describing it as "a nightmare." [1] Despite the constant, deadly threat, Suprunenko said she doesn't plan to leave Kherson because she and fellow residents are all "waiting for something," hoping the situation eases one day. [1] Euheniya Bielonohova, a 48-year-old IT specialist and translator who also lives in Kherson, said the number of Russian drones flying above the city significantly increased in recent days. [1] "It's a safari for people," Bielonohova said, talking to the Kyiv Independent shortly after another Russian FPV drone was shot down and fell about 20 meters from her. [1] "The killing of civilians is no longer a military action," Bielonohova said. [1] "This is genocide — this is not war, this is worse." [1]
Accusations of War Crimes
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Tuesday accused Russia of committing a war crime after a video was released showing a drone chasing down and wounding a street vendor in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. [3] Footage released by Ukrainian police shows the drone circling and chasing the man before the strike. [3] Ukraine accuses Russia of war crime after video shows drone hunting market vendor. [4] The attack was captured on camera and shows the drone circling and chasing the man, identified as 52-year-old Yurii, before diving towards him and exploding. [1]
What to watch next: Ukraine's defence forces will continue to systematically carry out measures aimed at ending the armed aggression of the Russian Federation while Russian forces maintain FPV drone operations against civilians in Kherson. [5]
