Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence service has carried out what officials describe as the largest single-day strike on occupied Crimea since 2023, using its Prymary drone unit, known by the call sign “Ghosts.” In a coordinated operation, the unit hit eight separate military targets in one night, including combat aircraft, radar stations, logistics equipment, and transport assets.
Key Assets Destroyed in Crimea
The centerpiece of the operation was the destruction of a Russian Su-24 frontline bomber at a Crimean airfield. The Soviet-designed aircraft has been regularly used for missile and glide-bomb attacks on Ukrainian cities and defensive positions. Its loss at a heavily defended Crimean air base highlights growing gaps in Russian air defenses on the peninsula.
The drones also struck radar installations central to Russia’s early-warning and air defense network. Targets reportedly included a 39N6 Kasta-2E2 long-range detection radar and two 48Ya6-K1 Podlet low- to medium-altitude radar stations. Destroying these systems creates detection gaps that can allow Ukrainian drones and aircraft to approach deeper into occupied territory with reduced risk of interception. Ukrainian sources have previously valued the Kasta-2E2 system at over 60 million dollars.
Another high-value target was a Russian Orion unmanned aerial vehicle, an advanced surveillance platform capable of flying for up to 24 hours. Ukrainian defense sources have estimated the Orion package at more than 5 million dollars.
The strike package also damaged elements of Russia’s logistics network. Ukrainian drones destroyed a radio-transparent radome sheltering radar antennas, a military freight train, and a Ural logistics truck.
Oil and Port Infrastructure Hit Deep Inside Russia
The same night, Ukrainian drones struck far beyond the front lines, targeting Russian energy sites hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine. One of the most significant attacks hit the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region, about 800 kilometers from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Drones reportedly caused severe damage to the plant’s primary crude distillation unit. The refinery processes around 8.5 million tons of crude per year, and multiple sources confirmed the attack halted operations.
Another wave of drones ignited a fire at Temryuk Seaport in Russia’s Krasnodar region, where a liquefied natural gas transshipment terminal was set ablaze. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed that the December 5 strike destroyed 20 fuel tanks, accounting for about 70 percent of the facility’s storage capacity. The fire reportedly burned for three days and covered nearly 1,000 square meters.
Russian Drone Barrage and Civilian Casualties
Following the strikes on Crimea and infrastructure facilities, Russia launched 137 attack drones toward Ukraine on the night of December 4–5. Ukrainian air defenses reported downing or jamming 80 of them.
Drones hit locations across Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Donetsk, and Sumy regions, targeting homes, infrastructure sites, and civilian facilities. In the Vasylkivka community of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a 12-year-old boy was killed and a 37-year-old woman and 39-year-old man were injured when drones struck residential buildings, destroying one private house and damaging another.
In the Nikopol district, Russian artillery and FPV drone attacks injured a 70-year-old civilian and damaged several apartment blocks. At least 23 civilians were reported wounded across multiple regions on December 5.
War Crimes, Child Returns, and Military Losses
On December 5, video evidence emerged showing what Ukrainian prosecutors describe as the summary execution of a Ukrainian soldier by Russian troops near Svyato-Pokrovske village in Donetsk Oblast. The footage shows the serviceman emerging with his hands raised before being shot and killed. Such actions constitute a violation of the Geneva Conventions.
The same day, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin announced the return of 18 children, aged 2 to 17, from Russian-occupied areas with the help of the Ukrainian non-governmental organization Save Ukraine. Many of the children are believed to have been subjected to forced military drills and propaganda lessons. Save Ukraine says it has helped rescue more than 1,000 children since the full-scale invasion began.
Ukraine’s General Staff estimates that by December 10, 2025, total Russian troop losses since February 24, 2022, had reached approximately 1,183,620 personnel. Western intelligence assessments have placed Russian casualties in various ranges, with British intelligence in June 2025 estimating total casualties at about 1 million, including up to 250,000 killed, and irreversible losses between 400,000 and 500,000.
Strategic Impact on Crimea and the Wider War
The destruction of radar systems and a tactical bomber in Crimea adds to a pattern of Ukrainian strikes that has gradually degraded Russian air defenses on the peninsula since 2023. As Ukraine refines its long-range drone and missile capabilities, Crimean bases and infrastructure are increasingly exposed.
Russia’s 2014 annexation turned Crimea into a key hub for Black Sea operations and attacks deeper inside Ukraine. The night of coordinated strikes against military, energy, and transport targets illustrates Ukraine’s strategy of eroding Russia’s ability to project power from occupied territories and from deep inside its own borders, while also drawing international attention to alleged war crimes and efforts to return Ukrainian children from occupation.
Sources:
- Reuters – Syzran oil refinery attack and operational halt​
- Kyiv Independent – Syzran and Temryuk strikes, 70% of fuel tanks destroyed, children returned, casualty context​
- Ukraine’s HUR / Defence Intelligence via official briefings and releases (Prymary/”Ghosts” unit, Su-24, radars, Orion, eight targets)​
- Ukrainska Pravda / RBC-Ukraine – Russian drone barrage (137 launched, 80 downed/jammed) and Dnipropetrovsk/Nikopol casualties​
- ZMINA / Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office – Svyato-Pokrovske POW execution investigation and Geneva Convention framing​
- Ukrainian General Staff daily updates – Russian loss figures and operational communiqués