[UPDATED: July 7, 8:52 pm
, Kyiv time. Corrected spelling error.]
Ukraine’s Defense Forces say Operation “Auchan” significantly disrupted an enemy mechanized offensive, halting its momentum for up to six months through coordinated drone strikes and intelligence-driven planning. The operation was launched last year following a decision by the Supreme Command Headquarters, and was backed by additional funding initiated by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said forces specially deployed drones and gathered intelligence to strike targets deep behind enemy lines.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Operation ‘Ashan’ is one example of how technology, intelligence, and high-quality planning makes it possible to systematically weaken the opponent’s offensive potential,” Fedorov said. “In just three days, the Defense Forces hit 949 enemy targets,” he said, forcing Russian troops to withdraw substantial equipment from the front and spend months recovering losses. The first and second phase The first phase of “Auchan” began in 2025, when Ukrainian bomber drones destroyed more than 800 Russian armored vehicles and artillery pieces over several nights, striking targets located more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) behind the front line, according to Militarnyi. The second phase, codenamed “Auchan,” followed in June 2026, shifting focus to Russian artillery, which Ukrainian forces describe as a key battlefield threat. New munitions developed for the phase resulted in 231 additional targets hit, 171 of them destroyed, bringing the campaign’s combined total to 1,180 targets struck.
