Ukraine has announced the successful destruction of a Russian warehouse used to launch Iranian-made drones and train cadets. Satellite images, shared by Ukraine’s Navy, confirm the devastation following a massive explosion near a Russian airfield in the southern region of Krasnodar.
The satellite photos, taken by US-based Planet Labs, depict significant damage to the facility. Before the attack, images from April 11 showed two large warehouses bisected by a road running north-south.
Subsequent photos taken on June 22 revealed one warehouse completely destroyed and the other significantly damaged. These facilities were identified as storage and preparation sites for Shahed-136/Geran-2 drones, along with training buildings, control centers, and communication points.
The Ukrainian Navy reported that the attack took place on Friday night and was a coordinated effort with Ukrainian intelligence agencies.
They claimed the strike resulted in the deaths of several instructors and cadets who were being trained to operate the Iranian-made Shahed drones. The base, situated on the Sea of Azov, is opposite the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
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Despite the severity of the incident, Moscow has yet to comment on the specific attack on the drone base. However, Russian officials did report shooting down a number of drones in the region overnight on Friday.
In a broader context, Russia stated that it had intercepted 114 drones during a Ukrainian attack on oil refineries and military targets in the south of the country. Officials mentioned that one person was killed by falling debris but did not reference the attack on the Krasnodar drone base.
In a related development, Russian-installed officials in occupied Crimea reported that three people, including two children, were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on a beach in the peninsula.
Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Moscow-appointed regional governor, said nearly 100 people were injured by missile fragments in the attack on Uchkuyevka, near Sevastopol.
Russia’s defense ministry stated that air defenses destroyed five projectiles, but debris fell on coastal areas. Officials attributed the missiles to US-made ATACMS, capable of striking deep into Russian-held territory.
Elsewhere, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, reported further Ukrainian drone attacks overnight on Sunday. One person was killed and three others injured when a drone destroyed a car park in Graivoron, approximately six kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Back in Ukraine, officials in Kyiv reported that two people were injured, and numerous residential buildings were damaged in a Russian missile and drone attack on the capital on Saturday night.
Ruslan Kravchenko, head of the Kyiv regional administration, noted that six tower blocks, 20 private homes, and several shops sustained damage from the attack. Ukraine’s air force claimed to have destroyed two of the three missiles launched by Russia towards the Kyiv region.
In his nightly address from the capital, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for Western nations to provide Ukraine with new air defense systems, specifically requesting US-made Patriot systems. “Ukraine needs the necessary forces and means to destroy the carriers of these bombs, particularly Russian combat aviation wherever it is,” he stated.
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This series of events underscores the ongoing intensity of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with both sides experiencing significant casualties and damage.
The destruction of the Russian drone base marks a critical point in Ukraine’s defense strategy, aiming to cripple the operational capabilities of Russian forces in the region.
As the conflict continues, the international community closely watches the developments, with potential implications for global security and geopolitical stability.