The Russians idolized the "Night Witches." They got their "Night Witches," but there's a catch.

Russian sources have released a video showing an attempt to shoot down a Ukrainian strike drone, during which it allegedly drops a FAB-250M-54 bomb on a ground target in the Bryansk region of Russia, as claimed by Russian military correspondents.

These strike drones operate at low altitudes during the night, sneaking up on their targets, reminiscent of tactics used in World War II, specifically by the 46th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment of the USSR, whose pilots were famously known as the "Night Witches." Russian propagandists actively incorporate their image into their "victory obsession."

These "Night Witches" utilized U-2 (Po-2) aircraft armed with two FAB-100 bombs, flying at low altitudes over enemy territory at night, remaining undetected while striking at the rear of the Nazis. Now, their modern unmanned counterpart "Night Witches" is decimating the Russians in their rear areas.

A Russian mobile fire group attempted to shoot down our strike drone using rifles equipped with thermal sights and heavy machine guns, but to no avail. As reported at the end of the video by a Russian with the callsign "Pegas": "the drone went north." The drone in question is likely a single-engine SkyRanger in the Swift version, converted into a strike drone, rather than an A-22 as claimed by the media; this can be inferred from the thick box-like part of the tail, which is narrow and rounded on the A-22.

To guide and control the drone, a special suspension with an optical targeting station is installed on it. Such drones have been in use for quite some time, with photographs of the first downed drones appearing back in April 2024, including one with four markings similar to those painted on aircraft after completing combat missions.

The SkyRanger boasts quite interesting specifications; depending on the version, it can carry up to 300 kg of payload, with 40-60 kg allocated for fuel. Its flight range is 720 km. The cost of the SkyRanger Swift in its minimal configuration is around 53 thousand dollars, making it a relatively affordable strike drone.

Previously, OFAB-100-120 bombs were mounted on these drones, but recently Ukrainian sources released photographs showing the installation of FAB-250M-54 and 120 mm mortar shells, noting that these are the munitions used to bomb enemy targets in the Bryansk region of Russia. Considering the explosion's power in the video and the claims from Russian sources regarding the drop of the FAB-250M-54, it is likely that this was indeed the case.