On the night of 20 July 2024, Ukrainian attack drones targeted the Millerovo military airfield in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, where Russian fighter aircraft are based, according to satellite imagery shared by RFE/RL.
The attack on the base, located 150 km from the frontline in Ukraine, resulted in the destruction of a fuel and lubricants base and a technical hangar for aviation, as revealed by a comparison of satellite imagery between 11 June and 21 July 2024.
It is part of an ongoing attempt by Ukraine to develop long-range strike drones to attack Russian military objects amid an ongoing Western prohibition on striking objects on Russian soil with Western weapons.
Local residents reported hearing around 16 explosions, which caused a large-scale fire.
The satellite images show that one of the hangars in the technical and operational zone of the airfield, used for servicing aircraft, was destroyed. A Su-30 fighter jet parked next to the hangar was moved to another location after the strike and appears to have avoided a direct hit or critical damage.
The attack drones also targeted the airfield’s fuel and lubricant storage base, causing it to partially burn down. This facility was the source of the large-scale fire captured on video by local residents. Satellite images show a dozen affected tanks containing flammable substances.
The Millerovo military airfield is home to Russia’s 31st Fighter Aviation Regiment, part of the 1st Mixed Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The regiment, located in the Rostov Oblast, is equipped with Su-30SM fighter jets.
It was partially damaged by a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile strike on 25 February 2022, the second day of Russia’s full-blown war against Ukraine.
