On the night of June 27–28, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) carried out a drone strike on the Kirovske military airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea.

According to an official statement, the strike destroyed several Russian helicopters — including Mi-8, Mi-26, and Mi-28 — as well as a Pantsir-S1 self-propelled air defense system. Additional damage was reported to ammunition depots, air defense infrastructure, and drone facilities.

“The occupiers must understand: their expensive equipment is not safe anywhere — not on the front line, not in occupied territory, not in the rear,” the statement said.

Secondary explosions and ongoing strikes

Secondary detonations continued throughout the night, suggesting munitions storage sites were hit. This marked the second consecutive day the SBU reported destroying Russian military assets in Crimea.

On 26 June, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) announced that its Prymary (Ghosts) unit carried out a separate drone strike on five key components of Russia’s S-400 Triumf air defense system. Targets included two multifunction radars, two detection radars, and one missile launcher.

Russia acknowledges drone activity

Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed a drone attack over Crimea, claiming that nine Ukrainian UAVs were intercepted.

While independent visual confirmation is still pending, local Telegram channels reported explosions in the Kirovske area. The monitoring group Crimean Wind documented five to six explosions between 2:50 and 3:02 AM, following drone activity. Russian air defenses reportedly fired in the Dzhankoi district around 1:30 AM.

Fires detected by satellite

According to Crimean Wind, citing NASA FIRMS satellite data, large fires were detected at the airfield. The group published annotated imagery showing multiple heat sources, including on or near helicopter pads.

At least one helicopter was reportedly seen burning, and air defense positions and depots appear to have been hit.