Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) proceeded to target an airfield in Russia’s Kursk region less than a day after attacking two air bases deep within the nation.
According to information on the Telegram account of Roman Starovoit, the governor of Russia’s Kursk border area, “an oil tank caught fire after the Kursk airport was targeted with a drone,” according to TASS. The officer went on to say that emergency response teams arrived immediately. “The fire was put out. There were no injuries.”
Since February 24, when Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine, Kursk Airport has been closed. Similar to some other airports in Russia, this airport is putting stringent controls in place to guarantee safety.
The perpetrators of the attack on Kursk airport were not immediately known, but Mr. Starovoit last week accused Ukrainian forces of frequently ambushing the region, damaging a power plant, and creating power outages.
The Kursk incident comes less than a day after Russia accused Ukrainian drones of attacking two of its air bases in Ryazan and Saratov, an area deep inside Russia, 500-500 miles from the Ukrainian border. 700km.
According to information from the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian UAVs from the Soviet era flew at low altitudes and targeted the Russian bombers’ garrison in these regions. An unnamed Ukrainian official also said that the drones were launched from Ukrainian territory and at least one attack was carried out with the help of special forces near the base. This force supports “indicating” the UAV. The raid left 3 service members dead, 4 injured, 2 aircraft destroyed.
Ukraine did not claim responsibility. However, if the information is confirmed, this could be Ukraine’s deepest raid into Russian territory since the beginning of the conflict.
Previously, Kiev was said to mainly target Russian bases near the border such as Saky Air Base on the Crimean peninsula or places where suicide drones or short-range ballistic missiles could be used. approach.
UAVs are not a new weapon in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. From the very beginning of the war, UAVs have shown their effectiveness in combat with roles ranging from reconnaissance to attack. Experts say that UAVs could be one of the factors shaping future conflicts, especially in the coming winter months. They reasoned that the harsh winter weather combined with the muddy terrain would significantly reduce the momentum of infantry advances on both sides. The use of UAVs is also a way each side uses to target the enemy’s dense network of trenches.
“There will be two important factors affecting the situation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the future. The first is the popularity and availability of long-range UAVs, and the second is the need for cheap tactical UAVs to combat the conflict. performing close-in support, or strike operations,” said Samuel Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA).
