Ukrainian drones target key Russian drone launch site

The General Staff in Kyiv reported that the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces attacked the airport in Russian Primorsko-Akhtarsk. It is from this location that Russians launched strike drones targeting sites in Ukraine.

This airport serves as an operational base for aircraft. It is used for storing, preparing, and launching Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles into Ukrainian territory, as well as providing technical support for aircraft conducting missions in the Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts, as stated in the communiqué.

Explosions were reported at the Primorsko-Akhtarsk airport, resulting in a fire. The General Staff of Ukraine announced the continuation of strikes on targets related to Russian armed aggression and the terrorising of the civilian population.

As recently as Wednesday, in the daily communiqué of the Ukrainian Air Force, Primorsko-Akhtarsk was mentioned as one of the launch sites for drones attacking Ukraine. By Thursday morning, this airport was no longer listed in the communication.

During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, the Russians released 77 drones from the vicinity of the cities of Orel, Kursk, Bryansk, Millerovo, and Shatalovo. Ukrainian forces shot down 56 of them, and 18 were neutralised using electronic warfare means.

Attacks on military recruitment offices

Andriy Kovalenko from the government's Centre for Countering Disinformation noted that Russia's GRU and FSB oversee operations targeted at military personnel and attacks on recruitment offices.

Simultaneously, a media campaign, ongoing since 2022, is intensifying. However, the Russians are making particularly significant efforts to weaken mobilisation and infiltrate media, Kovalenko said.

Russian services mainly recruit teenagers, unemployed individuals, and persons with legal issues, such as drug dealers, for attacks. In two cases, the perpetrators were eliminated after completing their tasks.