Ukraine’s special forces carried out another daring and devastating attack on Russia’s airforce, inflicting damage running into millions of pounds. Drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) targeted the Saky military airbase in Crimea on Monday.
The airfield plays a critical role in Russia’s military operations in the Black Sea and beyond. Fighter jets from the base are regularly used to launch air strikes on Ukraine and carry out patrolling duties and radar surveillance, as well as escort long-range bombers. The drone attacks destroyed one SU-30SM jet, damaged another and hit three Su-24s while also striking the aviation weapons depot.
“The successful special operation carried out by the SBU in Saky marks another step toward weakening the enemy’s capacity to wage its war of aggression against Ukraine,” a spokesperson for the agency said.
The Su-30MS is a twin-engine, two-seat multirole fighter aircraft developed by Russia, with production beginning in the early 2010s. The fighter jet costs between £26.3 million and £37.6 million per unit, according to the SBU.
Meanwhile, the Su-24 is a twin-engine, all-weather supersonic strike bomber developed by the Soviet Union, with production starting in the early 1970s.
The SBU carried out spectacular drone strikes on Russia’s fleet of strategic nuclear bombers at the beginning of June in Operation Spiderweb. Over one year in the planning, the attacks targeted airbases deep inside Russia and hit at least 20 bombers – ten of which were wiped out.
Ukrainian UAVS also targeted the Tatsinskaya railway station in Russia’s Rostov region early on Tuesday morning.
The strikes appeared to cause a major fire to break out on the premises. Video images shot by eyewitnesses show giant flames leaping into the night’s sky.
The railway station acts as a logistics hub for a nearby oil refinery and is also used to transport grain.
Rostov’s acting governor claimed the attack only succeeded in destroying a garden shed belonging to a private house next to the rail depot.
“There were outbreaks of fire,” Yury Slyusar said. “In the village of Verkhnetalovka, Millerovo district, a substation caught fire. The blaze, covering an area of 500 square meters, was extinguished. In the village of Tatsinskaya, a shed in the yard of a private house caught fire. The flames were quickly put out. No one was injured.”
