Direct proof of use
The AN-196 Liutyi is documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War as a Ukrainian long-range one-way attack UAV. Ukrainska Pravda reported in June 2023 that Ukroboronprom had announced successful use of a Ukrainian-produced 1,000 km-range drone, with its defense-sector sources linking the use to a May 3, 2023 fire at an oil depot in Volna, Krasnodar Krai.
Later reporting tied named Liutyi attacks to occupied Crimea and Russia. RBC-Ukraine reported that Ukraine's Special Operations Forces used Liutyi drones on August 28, 2023 against Russia's 126th Coastal Defense Brigade base at Perevalne in occupied Crimea, while Defence Blog described subsequent long-range attacks on Russian oil and military infrastructure.
Sources: Ukrainska Pravda 1000 km drone use report, RBC-Ukraine Liutyi Izhevsk launch report, Defence Blog Liutyi production report
Timeline
Publicly reported use begins in 2023. Ukrainska Pravda's June 2023 article cited sources saying the 1,000 km drone had been effectively used on May 3, 2023 near the Taman Peninsula. Defence Blog later described that event as the first confirmed combat deployment and reported a September 20, 2023 AN-196 strike from Ukraine's Chernihiv region against an oil-storage facility near Sochi.
In 2024 and 2025, reporting shows the system as part of Ukraine's broader deep-strike campaign. Euromaidan Press summarized CNN access to a Ukrainian military-intelligence long-range drone unit preparing Liutyi drones for a September 29, 2024 operation against a Russian ammunition facility in Kotluban, Volgograd Oblast. UNITED24 Media reported that an upgraded 75 kg-warhead Liutyi was used against the Saratov Oil Refinery, and Kyiv Post reported monitoring-channel claims that several Liutyi drones were used in the October 3, 2025 strike on the Orsk oil refinery.
Sources: Ukrainska Pravda 1000 km drone use report, Defence Blog Liutyi production report, Euromaidan Press CNN Liutyi Kotluban report, UNITED24 Liutyi Saratov upgrade report, Kyiv Post Orsk Liutyi strike report
Narrative
In Ukrainian service, Liutyi filled a long-range strike role that did not depend on foreign missile stocks. Business Insider, citing Ukrainska Pravda, described Liutyi as a Ukrainian-developed drone associated with most successful Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries in early 2024, while Euromaidan Press' CNN summary identified Liutyi among the drone types operated by HUR's long-range unit.
The documented target set spans oil depots and refineries, an occupied-Crimea military base, ammunition facilities, and industrial or defense-linked sites inside Russia. The sources do not provide a complete strike inventory, and several incident identifications come through Ukrainian security sources, monitoring channels, or outlet-attributed reporting rather than public Ukrainian after-action releases.
Sources: Business Insider Liutyi refinery-strike report, Euromaidan Press CNN Liutyi Kotluban report, RBC-Ukraine Liutyi Izhevsk launch report, Kyiv Post Orsk Liutyi strike report
