Ukraine turns Moscow’s mines against it: How it blew up Russian bridges with $600 drones

This photograph shows FPV drones placed at the position of Ukrainian servicemen of the Black Arrow battalion, in the Dnipropetrovsk region on July 10, 2025.

Ukrainian Army says it blew up two bridges in Russia’s Belgorod region by striking explosives that Moscow had hidden beneath them. The operation was carried out by the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade and destroyed stockpiles of mines and ammunition. Ukrainian officials called it a rare success against Russia’s frontline supply routes.

The two bridges, close to Ukraine’s Kharkiv border, were being used by Russian troops to move supplies. They had been mined by Moscow so they could be demolished in case of a Ukrainian advance. Instead, Kyiv’s forces hit the mines themselves and turned them against Russia.

“We saw the mines, and we struck," a representative of the brigade told CNN. Drone footage shared by the unit showed anti-tank mines stacked under one bridge before a massive blast ripped through it. The brigade said it later hit a second mined bridge nearby.

The strikes were carried out with small first-person-view drones costing as little as 600 to 725 dollars, according to the Ukrainian unit. The drones were fitted with fiber optics that helped bypass Russian jamming and record footage under the bridges.

Destroying bridges usually requires expensive guided missiles or aircraft, but Ukraine has increasingly relied on cheap homemade drones. In June, Kyiv used similar drones to damage or destroy dozens of Russian aircraft at military air bases.

The loss of the Belgorod bridges could make it harder for Russia to supply its forces, even as Moscow continues to push forward in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv said the attack was both a tactical win and proof of its ability to innovate in a costly war.