Photos posted on social media show two crumpled bridges in the southern part of Russia’s Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, their remnants smoking in the background. The roads they span are pocked with craters and scorched earth, evidence of a fire fight that took place nearby. Days earlier, on Sept. 9, Ukraine’s 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade had bombed both structures in an audacious attack that exposed the rising power of cheap first-person-view (FPV) drones on the modern battlefield.

The bridges were mined by the Russian military and stocked with ammunition, including anti-tank mines. Ukrainian forces learned of the hidden munitions and then bombed the two bridges with the help of an FPV drone, according to the brigade, a story CNN has confirmed using satellite imagery and open-source research.

Bridges Used for Russian Resupply

The two bridges were “supply routes for enemy reserves to move military equipment and ammunition,” Ukrainian officials said in a statement.

The Russian military also mined the bridges as part of a defensive plan to destroy them in the event of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Such a move would not be unprecedented. In the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine blew up several bridges heading toward Kyiv in an effort to slow Moscow’s advance and protect the capital. Now, the tables have seemingly been turned, with Ukraine doing the same to the Russians.

The 58th Brigade, which operates in the Kharkiv region, said in a statement it grew suspicious after witnessing unusual activity in the area around one of the bridges. “It became clear that something was going on there,” a brigade representative told CNN. Standard reconnaissance drones could not be used to scout under the bridge without losing signal, so the brigade instead sent out an FPV drone equipped with fiber optics.

What the 58th Brigade discovered was an extensive network of anti-tank mines and ammunition stockpiled underneath the bridge. “We saw the mines, and we struck,” the representative said.

A Cost-Effective Strike

Video of the attack posted by the 58th Brigade shows the drone approach the bridge as it is scanned by remote operators. Once the munitions have been identified and the drone’s location triangulated, it detonates in a massive explosion. A second camera set up some distance away recorded the blast from afar. CNN geolocated the bridge as being in Russia’s Belgorod region just across the border from Kharkiv, where the 58th Brigade is based.

Encouraged by its success, the brigade then scouted a second bridge in the area and discovered it was also mined. It then sent out a second drone, which triggered another powerful explosion. “(We) saw an opportunity and took it,” the brigade said in a statement.

The entire operation was remarkable not just for the audacity of the attacks but for how cheaply the targets were taken out. The drones used cost 25,000 to 30,000 Ukrainian hryvnias apiece, or about $600 to $725, according to the brigade. If this had been an attack by Ukrainian troops with no help from the drones, destroying both bridges from within Russia would have likely required expensive guided missiles or precision bombs.

In the past, Ukraine has used U.S.-supplied HIMARS systems to strike infrastructure targets in Russia’s Kursk region. Each HIMARS launcher costs millions of dollars, and the rockets cost tens of thousands each. The Belgorod bridges were instead taken out using drones that cost less than an average smartphone.

Growing Role of FPV Drones

The attack underscores how the battlefield is being reshaped by the use of increasingly inexpensive and easy-to-operate drones. In this instance, the drones were used by Ukrainian forces to strike deep inside Russia without expending any Western-supplied munitions.

Kyiv is also making use of small FPV drones smuggled close to Russian military airfields in an effort to destroy or damage the aircraft. In June, for example, Ukrainian forces managed to blow up or damage dozens of aircraft parked on Russian airfields using FPV drones that were ferried by air to sites just outside the bases’ perimeters. In June, Ukraine also released a video of a Predator drone launched by its forces into Russian territory to strike military targets.

“These types of operations show how even modest technology can achieve outsized results when used creatively,” said military analyst Mykola Bielieskov. FPV drones also offer Kyiv a cheap way to counter Russia’s numerical advantage in weaponry and munitions.

Russia has not commented on the bridge destructions. The pair of attacks came as Ukraine is under heavy pressure along the frontlines from Russian forces that have been grinding forward in eastern Ukraine while Moscow continues its near-daily barrage of missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was forced to acknowledge recently that his forces were “taking more losses” in response to Moscow’s bombardments. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin also said this month that Moscow would not offer Kyiv any ceasefire guarantees until it achieved its goals. “So it’s obvious that we will continue to actively support the offensive,” Putin said.

Amid a dire battlefield situation, the destruction of the bridges provided a moment of much-needed respite. For Russia, the loss of both structures will make life much more difficult for its logistics in the Belgorod region, hindering its efforts to supply troops operating near the Ukrainian border.

Innovation Under Pressure

For Ukraine, the Belgorod strikes highlight a bigger trend in the war: creative thinking and improvisation are key. Facing limitations in Western supplies and Russian forces with a clear advantage in terms of numbers, Kyiv has been forced to think of new ways to fight. Ukraine’s use of FPV drones, often cobbled together with commercial components and then modified by volunteers, has been one of the more potent offshoots of that push. “The value of these drones cannot be overstated,” the brigade representative said. “They allow us to achieve results that would otherwise require weapons we don’t have.”

With the war grinding on, Kyiv’s ability to innovate and strike creatively inside Russian territory will be key in countering Moscow’s battlefield advantages. For now, two bridges in Belgorod will stand as a stark reminder of how even small, inexpensive weapons can achieve strategic effects.