Satellite Photos Reveal Russia Airfields' Damage after Drone Swarm Attack

Satellite images have been released showing the aftermath of Ukrainian drone strikes on two of the four Russian airfields targeted on Wednesday.

Ukraine's General Staff confirmed Wednesday that Kyiv's forces struck four airfields in Russia's Voronezh, Kursk, and Nizhny Novgorod regions—the Khalino, Savasleyka, Borisoglebsk and Baltimore airfields, which house "Russian military aviation, Su-34 fighter bombers, Su-35 fighter jets and other enemy military aviation equipment."

"The main objects of damage were warehouses with fuel and munitions," it said.

Schemes, the Ukrainian investigative unit of U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, published satellite imagery from California-based global imaging company Planet Labs showing "the consequences of strikes by Ukrainian drones" on the Borisoglebsk military airfield.

"Ukrainian drones struck the northwestern part of the airfield—in particular, several hangars were destroyed," Schemes said. "The Borisoglebsk airfield is used by the Russian Air Force, in particular, Su-25, Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft are based there."

Open-source intelligence analyst MT Anderson shared satellite photos on X, formerly Twitter, showing the aftermath of Ukraine's drone strike on the Savasleyka air base in the Nizhny Novgorod region, which hosts Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles.

"Minor damage to the Ammunition depot with two fire trucks there likely for fire suppression. There is a burn spot near the flight line but can't discern any damage," he wrote.

Ian Matveev, a Russian military analyst, shared footage on X that purportedly shows the moment Savasleyka was hit.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email.

The attacks were part of one of Kyiv's largest drone assaults on Russian soil of the war so far.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its air defenses destroyed 117 drones and four missiles—37 drones and four missiles over the Kursk region, where a Ukrainian incursion is ongoing; 37 drones over the Voronezh region; 17 drones over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine; 11 drones over the Nizhny Novgorod region; nine drones over the Volgograd region; three drones over the Bryansk region; two drones over the Oryol region; and one drone over the southern Rostov region.

Ukraine frequently targets Russian air bases in the war, which began in February 2022. Kyiv has said that Russian military bases are legitimate targets in the conflict, and its forces regularly attack them using long-range drones.

Attacks on Russian soil are typically claimed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).

Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.