On 8 September, Ukrainian forces launched a powerful combined missile and drone strike, targeting Russian military command structures in Donetsk — a regional capital in eastern Ukraine, occupied by Russia since 2014. OSINT analysts and local sources confirmed the destruction of key command centers belonging to the Russian 41st Army and 20th Motor Rifle Division.

Ukrainian missiles strike Russian command HQs in occupied Donetsk

Ukrainian defense news site Militarnyi reported that Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck multiple command posts of the Russian occupying army in Donetsk Oblast in a coordinated night assault. OSINT analysts CyberBoroshno and Dnipro Osint confirmed that Ukrainian cruise missiles hit headquarters at both army and divisional level.

One of the identified targets was the command post of Russia’s 41st Army, which had been hidden inside the Institute of Integrated Automation in Donetsk. The analysts did not specify the exact location of the 20th Motor Rifle Division’s headquarters, but confirmed it was also struck during the same attack.

In addition to those two major targets, Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked a third Russian-controlled military site — the Topaz plant. This facility, previously used by Russian forces to house command elements, suffered heavy structural damage.

According to analysts, an army-level headquarters was located inside the Topaz site as well, though its exact affiliation remains unknown.

Local footage shows scale of destruction at Russian-occupied Topaz plant

Footage and photos from local Telegram channels captured large columns of smoke rising over Donetsk and visible Russian air defense activity during the attack. The images, showing shattered buildings at the Topaz factory, confirmed that the site sustained serious damage.

CyberBoroshno reported that Russia has used the Topaz plant to station its equipment and military infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Due to this, the factory has repeatedly been a target for Ukrainian precision strikes.

Domestic cruise missiles suspected in attack, Peklo and Bars possibly used

Militarnyi notes that although it remains unclear which exact weapons were used in the strikes, footage released by local residents supports the theory that Ukraine used domestically produced Peklo and Bars cruise missiles. Visual evidence from the scene, including the configuration of the jet engine and wing mount, appears to match the characteristics of the Peklo missile.

Ukrainian missile and missile‑drone production

Constrained with scant supplies of foreign-made missiles, Ukraine is rapidly scaling its domestic long‑range strike capabilities, especially with the Flamingo cruise missile—now in mass production by end of 2025 or early 2026, boasting a claimed 3,000 km range, 1,150 kg warhead, and 6‑ton takeoff weight. Ukraine also produces Bars “cruise missile drones,” and additional systems like Peklo and Palianytsia. The latter two were widely praised by the officials earlier, but have basically been missing from reports on deep strikes for months.

Ukraine’s “working horses” for its deep strikes inside Russia and occupied territories are long-range drones such as Liutyi.

In February, Ukraine’s state weapons development grant program reportedly funded 19 domestic missile manufacturers, backing projects to develop a broad range of systems, including cruise, ballistic, and anti-aircraft missiles tailored to the country’s defense needs.