A jet-powered Geran-type drone has reached western Ukraine for the first time, striking Dubno in the Rovno Region. Ukrainian resources citing the Ukrainian Air Force say this type of drone had not previously been recorded in the area.

Earlier strikes on Ukraine’s western regions had involved older versions of kamikaze drones fitted with piston engines. Jet-powered modifications appeared in Ukrainian airspace later, but until now they had not been recorded flying such long distances.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the drone was launched from Crimea and covered more than 900 kilometers. Its route passed through the Nikolayev, Odessa, Vinnitsa, Khmelnitsky and Ternopol regions before the aircraft reached Dubno in the Rovno Region.

The flight from launch to strike took one hour and 50 minutes. The Ukrainian side has not specified what target was hit. Ukrainian publications have instead focused on the fact that a jet-powered Geran managed to complete such a long route and reach the western part of the country.

The exact drone modification has also not been identified. Russian forces are currently actively using the Geran-4 and its modifications in strikes on Ukraine. The transitional Geran-3 is used less frequently, while the newer Geran-5 has also appeared and is compared with a small cruise missile.

The strike therefore showed that jet-powered versions of Russian attack drones can now operate over long distances, allowing them to reach targets in western Ukraine as well.