Direct proof of use
Defence Intelligence of Ukraine published official footage on July 1, 2025 showing Ukrainian-made UJ-26 Bober drones used by its special forces against Russian targets in occupied Crimea. The GUR video page named the Pantsir-S1 air-defense system, Niobium-SV radar, Pechora-3 coastal radar, Protivnik-GE radar, and a Russian Su-30 at Saky airfield among the struck targets.
ArmyInform, the Ukrainian military information outlet, reported the same GUR release and described the footage as Bober combat work against Russian air-defense systems and the Su-30 at Saky. Ukrainska Pravda and UNITED24 Media separately reported that the footage showed Bober drones with thermal-imaging cameras striking multiple Russian air-defense systems and an aircraft in occupied Crimea.
Sources: GUR Bober Crimea Strike Video, ArmyInform Bober Saky Strike, Ukrainska Pravda Bober Crimea Strike, UNITED24 Bober Crimea Strike
Documented strike chronology
Open-source reference work places the UJ-26 Bober's wartime introduction in 2023 and describes it as a Ukrainian long-range one-way attack UAV used against Moscow and other targets in Russia. That background establishes the weapon's broader deep-strike role, while the July 2025 Crimea release provides the clearest source-backed record for the specific target set in this usage detail.
On July 1, 2025, GUR released the Crimea strike footage. The source set identifies Bober use against Russian air-defense and aviation targets in occupied Crimea, including a Pantsir-S1, three radar systems, and a Su-30 at Saky airfield. Business Insider reported the following day that the GUR footage also showed Bober drones launched from a fixed ramp or catapult system and that several first-person-view clips used thermal cameras.
Sources: Guide To Ukraine's Long Range Attack Drones, GUR Bober Crimea Strike Video, Business Insider Bober Catapult Strike
Role in the conflict
In the cited Crimea strike, the Bober appears as a Ukrainian long-range one-way attack UAV used for deep attacks rather than close battlefield reconnaissance. The documented targets were Russian air-defense systems, radar stations, and an aircraft on the ground, making the recorded role long-range strike against rear-area military infrastructure.
The reporting separates use from design background. Covert Shores describes the Bober as a canard-layout UAV introduced in 2023 with a reported roughly 1,000 km range and about 20 kg payload; Ukrainska Pravda reports similar 800 km, 200 km/h, and 20 kg figures. Those specifications explain how the system can reach targets in occupied Crimea and Russia, but the conflict-use claim rests on the GUR footage and reports that identify Bober drones in the July 2025 strike.
Sources: GUR Bober Crimea Strike Video, ArmyInform Bober Saky Strike, Guide To Ukraine's Long Range Attack Drones, Ukrainska Pravda Bober Crimea Strike
