Russia withdraws about 40 aircraft from Kushchevsk airfield due to drone strike
A drone strike on the Russian airbase in Kuschevsk likely prompted Russia to withdraw around 40 aircraft of various types from the area and redeploy them to several airbases further away from the front lines, the British Defense Ministry reported on May 3.
The immediate impact of such actions may be obscure, because Ukraine has already demonstrated the ability to strike much deeper than these redeployment areas.
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The forced implementation of such measures implies that their duration must be extended to maintain the same frequency of sorties over the combat zone. This, in turn, will require more fuel, increase costs, and impose greater strain on crews.
Drone strikes on the Kushchevsk airbase and the oil refinery in the Krasnodar Oblast on April 27
Videos of explosions in the Krasnodar Oblast surfaced on social media on the night of April 27. Russian sources reported strikes on oil refineries in the region and several other targets.
The Russian Ministry of Defense later announced a massive drone attack on the Krasnodar Oblast. They claimed that air defense forces had supposedly shot down 66 "Ukrainian drones" over the territory of the Oblast and two UAVs over the occupied Crimea.
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Ukrainian Security Service later confirmed to NV that their drones had indeed attacked the airbase and oil refinery in the Krasnodar region. Dozens of military aircraft, radars, and electronic warfare systems were stationed at the Kushchevsk airbase.
UAVs also targeted the rectification and atmospheric columns of the Il'sk and Slaviansk oil refineries.
Before Ukraine's attack on the Kushevsk airbase in the Russian Krasnodar Oblast, satellite images showed that Su-34 bombers were present there, Defense Express reported.
Read also: Krasnodar Krai hit in massive drone attack targeting Russian oil refineries
The Kushchevsk training airbase also houses Su-27, and possibly MiG-29 and L-39 aircraft in operational condition.
This strike was likely to lead to further redeployment of Russian fighters and redistribution of Russian air defense assets in attempts to close gaps, British intelligence reported on April 30.
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