Ukrainian drone strike hits Russian base, avoids damaging aircraft

The Millerovo military airport, located near Rostov-on-Don, was targeted by Ukrainians during the night of 19-20 July. The Russians claim to have shot down 26 Ukrainian drones. However, some of the launched weapons hit the facility, and the effects of the shelling can be seen in the latest satellite images.

As the Ukrainian agency Unian reminds us, the defenders' army sent a swarm of drones towards the Russian Millerovo airport—at least several dozen machines. Although some of the drones were shot down by Russian air defences, a few managed to breach the Russian Federation's anti-drone shield and strike a valuable military target for the aggressor.

Initially, it was unclear what losses the Russians incurred due to the Ukrainian strike. Since Millerovo is the base of the 31st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Russian Federation equipped with Su-30SM aircraft, initial suspicions were directed towards these units – especially since residents noted several explosions at the airport.

In response to suspicions related to the alleged loss of valuable aircraft for the Russians, Russian Radio Svoboda published a satellite map showing the effects of the Ukrainian strike on the Millerovo base. Radio Svoboda's communication informed that three fire centres are visible in the satellite photo taken after the strike. One is located in the hangar of the technical-operational part, the second is in an open area, and the third is where one of the fuel and lubricant warehouses is located. The space photo confirms the statements from Russian sources that the aircraft was not damaged during the drone attack.

According to materials published by the Russian source, the Ukrainians did not manage to destroy the opponent's aircraft, as over time, the Russians had perfected the process of evacuating planes upon detecting a threat from approaching drones.

Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that the only damaged machines might have been those in the hangar and immobilised for some reason. It is also possible that the strike only affected equipment used for repairing and servicing the Su-30SMs in service.

It is worth emphasising that the Ukrainian strike on Russian fuel tanks should be considered a success. Let's recall that a similar shelling occurred in May of this year when the defenders' army attacked the airport in Belbek near Sevastopol, destroying fuel tanks and thereby grounding some of the aircraft.

The aforementioned Su-30SMs, which could have been stationed at the Millerovo base, are among the best machines currently serving the Russian Federation. They are an advancement of the older Su-27 and are multi-role machines. This means they can conduct both air superiority operations and land strikes.