Russian base hit

Partisans report: Attack on Crimea “successful”

This image, which is circulating online, is said to show a destroyed S-400 system in Crimea.

(Bild: OSINT)

Ukrainian forces have apparently fired long-range missiles at a Russian airbase in Crimea. Bright flashes of explosions lit up the sky over the occupied peninsula during the night. However, the exact reasons behind the attack have so far remained a mystery. Now the partisan group Atesch has reported a "successful" attack.

The group, which consists of Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians and Russians, reported on Telegram that the attack on the military base in Dzhankoy had destroyed a Russian S-400 air defense system, including radar equipment and several launchers. They gave exact coordinates of where the impact had occurred. Previously, agents at this location had registered that "long crates had been brought to protected caponiers" (massive walled passages in fortresses), they said. Earlier, a series of huge explosions had been reported from there.

"Rockets stored next to launching pads"
"The occupiers had so much confidence in their latest air defense system that they stored rockets right next to the launch pads," Atesch continued. There was also a significant hit at a command post, the group said, referring to one of its agents in the air defense unit.

Several Russian helicopters at the airfield were apparently destroyed:

In order to protect their agents, they are not giving any further details. The details were passed on to the Ukrainian armed forces, the guerrilla group added.

The Ukrainian side had previously reported that two US ATACMS missiles had hit the airfield on the Black Sea peninsula. Several helicopters were also destroyed and Russian soldiers were killed or injured. There is no independent evidence of this.

Hypersonic missiles destroyed?
The reference by the Atezh group to destroyed missiles fuels rumors that stored hypersonic missiles of the "Zircon" type, which were allegedly intended to be fired at the Ukrainian capital Kiev, were also destroyed.

In Russia itself, Ukrainian military intelligence attacked several targets with drones on Wednesday. According to the RBK-Ukraine news agency, one was an aircraft factory in Kazan. Tupolev 22M and 160M strategic bombers are built and repaired at the plant, which is almost 1000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Several explosions were reportedly heard near the factory site. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, a drone of an aircraft-like type was intercepted over the Republic of Tatarstan.

Russia: drone attacks repelled
According to Ukrainian media reports, another attack targeted a radar station near the town of Kovylkino in the Russian republic of Mordovia, a good 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, this drone attack was also repelled.

Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for more than two years with Western support. Unmanned Ukrainian flying objects with a long range are regularly used against targets deep in the Russian hinterland.