Russian-occupied Crimea hosts five military airfields, but two of them have reportedly been left without aircraft, according to Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy. Speaking on Ukrainian TV, as reported by Obozrevatel, Pletenchuk suggested that Russian occupiers may have relocated the aircraft to Russia, citing logistical challenges in providing fuel and other necessities.
Pletenchuk did not specify the types, numbers, or locations of aircraft currently remaining in occupied Crimea.
This development comes amidst multiple recent Ukrainian aerial drone and missile attacks targeting Russian Aerospace Forces infrastructure in occupied Crimea, primarily focusing on air defense assets.
These attacks on aviation infrastructure are occurring in parallel with missile and naval drone strikes against Russian navy assets on the occupied peninsula, which have forced most Russian warships to relocate from occupied Sevastopol to Novorossiysk on Russia’s eastern Black Sea coast.
The five air bases in occupied Crimea are:
- Saky Air Base: Located near the town of Novofedorivka, hosts Sukhoi Su-24 tactical bombers and Su-30SM fighter aircraft.
- Belbek Air Base: Situated near Sevastopol on the southwestern coast, hosts Sukhoi Su-27 and Sukhoi Su-30 fighters.
- Kacha Air Base: Near Sevastopol, this base primarily hosts Russian Navy’s air fixed- and rotary-wing assets.
- Hvardiyske Air Base: Located in central Crimea, the base hosts Sukhoi Su-24M tactical bombers and the Su-25 ground attack aircraft.
- Dzhankoi Air Base: Situated in northern Crimea, this base hosts Kamov Ka-52, Mil Mi-8, Mi-28, and Mi-35 helicopters.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as of 3 August 2024, Russian combat losses included 363 aircraft and 326 helicopters.
The most recent attack on Russian airfields in Crimea occurred overnight on 26 July. Ukrainian Defense Forces reportedly struck the Saky military airfield in Novofedorivka with eight ATACMS missiles, reportedly destroying two Russian fighters and a Nebo radar system.
Related:
- Ukraine says it sank Russian submarine, damaged four S-400 launchers in Crimea
- Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Morozovsk airfield, oil depot in Rostov Oblast (video)
- Ukraine confirms missile attack on Russian airfield near occupied Crimea’s Saky (video)
- Russian Su-25 jet shot down on Pokrovsk front by Ukrainian forces
- Russia loses two aircraft, as Su-25 attack jet downed in eastern Ukraine, and Su-34 bomber crashes in North Ossetia
- UK intel: Ukrainian attack on Krasnodar Krai air base forces dispersal of Russian aircraft, boosting operational burdens
