Russian drones can fly roughly twice as far as Ukrainian UAVs, according to a commander of a drone systems company from the 123rd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of Russia’s Southern Group of Forces, known by the call sign Legion.

He said Ukrainian reconnaissance drones usually operate at distances of no more than 10 kilometers, while FPV drones reach about 15 kilometers. Legion attributed these limits to the terrain and the high level of activity by Russian drone crews.

Russian operators, by comparison, can send their UAVs as far as 35 kilometers. This range allows them to penetrate behind Ukrainian positions and strike logistics routes.

Legion also said Russian forces remain about eight kilometers from Slavyansk. According to him, Russian troops hold elevated positions, while the city itself lies in a lowland area.

He argued that this gives Russian units a significant tactical advantage, as Ukrainian forces would have to operate uphill while Russian troops could advance from higher ground. Legion said Russian units are now consolidating their positions and predicted that Slavyansk would soon return to Russian control.

Reports emerged a day earlier that Russian troops operating near Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic had advanced toward the outskirts of Slavyansk and begun entering the city.

Oleg Ivannikov, an adviser to the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences, a candidate of historical sciences and a reserve lieutenant colonel, told aif.ru that the developments, in his view, indicated the start of an operation aimed at completing the liberation of Donbass.