Two Russian air bases in Crimea no longer host aircraft used to target Ukraine, Kyiv’s navy has said, as it plugs away with its campaign of attacks on Moscow’s air bases.
Russia lost more than 28 Su-35 fighter jets and 36 Su-34 fighter bombers in the Ukraine war.
Moscow currently has five military airfields in Crimea, “but two of them are effectively without planes,” Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s navy, said in remarks reported by Ukrainian media.
Russian forces “could relocate the planes to the mainland, but they need the right logistics to supply fuel and other essentials,” Pletenchuk said.
Kyiv has consistently targeted Russia’s air bases, logistics hubs and naval facilities in Crimea in the more than two years of full-scale war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the arrival and operational status of US-made F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine. The jets, equipped with advanced weaponry and systems, are seen as a significant upgrade to Ukraine’s air combat capabilities.
The deployment of F-16s is expected to enhance Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression, marking a new phase in the conflict. The news has been met with widespread support and optimism among Ukrainian officials and citizens, who view this development as a game-changer in the ongoing war with Russia.
Russia has controlled Crimea since it annexed the peninsula in 2014, but this action was not internationally recognized. Ukraine has vowed to reclaim Crimea.
Kyiv has also zeroed in on air bases inside internationally-recognized Russian territory, including the Engels-2 base housing long-range bombers in the Saratov region, and the Kushchyovskaya air base in Krasnodar.
On Saturday, Ukraine’s military said it had targeted the Morozovsk airfield in Russia’s Rostov region, striking warehouses filled with ammunition, including those storing guided aerial bombs that have pummeled Ukraine for months.
After Kyiv attacked Kushchyovskaya earlier this year, the British Defense Ministry said Russia would likely have to disperse its fighter jets to fend off further Ukrainian strikes.
Ukrainian media identified the five Russian air bases in Crimea as the Saky facility—southeast of the western Crimean city of Yepatoriya—the Belbek air base near Sevastopol, the Dzhankoi air base to the north, plus the Kacha base also near Sevastopol and the Hvardiyske in the center of the peninsula.
In late July, Ukraine’s military said its missile forces struck the Saky air base, which Russia uses to “control airspace” in the Black Sea and coordinate strikes on Ukraine.
In an apparent reference to the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wished to “especially commend our warriors who are striking Russian bases and logistics in the occupied territories.”
“Every destroyed Russian air base, every destroyed Russian military aircraft—whether on the ground or in the air—saves Ukrainian lives. I thank our warriors for their precision,” he said.
On June 10, Ukraine said it had launched an overnight attack that struck an advanced Russian S-400 air-defense system in Dzhankoi and two others near Yevpatoriya and Chornomorske, on Crimea’s western edge.
In mid-May, Ukraine attacked the Belbek airfield, and satellite images appeared to show three destroyed Russian fighter jets and damaged buildings at the facility. Kyiv had previously targeted the base in late January, destroying a radar facility.
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