On the night of 17 December, Ukraine’s Security Service and Armed Forces conducted a special operation, as a result of which they struck equipment at the Morozovsk airbase in Russia’s Rostov region, several Ukrainian media outlets reported citing their sources.
“We attacked the airfield with drones. Although Russia has already traditionally managed to declare that all drones were shot down, in reality, Ukraine’s Security Service and Armed Forces inflicted significant damage to the enemy’s equipment,” a source told Ukrainska Pravda.
The source also emphasized that the Russian airbase was a critical target since the 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces is located there. At the time of the strike, up to 20 Su-34 aircraft, three radar stations, and other equipment were at the base.
Ukrainian Intel suspected in drone attack on Russian bomber air base in Rostov Oblast
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) December 17, 2023
"We attacked the airfield with drones. Ukraine's Security Service and Armed Forces inflicted significant damage to ???????? equipment," a source told Ukrainska Pravda.
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On the morning of 17 December, Russia’s MoD claimed to have repelled a massive UAV attack from Ukraine.
“Air defense assets on duty destroyed and intercepted 33 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the territories of the Lipetsk, Rostov, and Volgograd oblasts,” Russia’s MoD said, later adding that two of those were allegedly downed in the skies of Volgograd Oblast, which is at least 300 km away from the war zone.
Russian Telegram channel Astra shared videos of an alleged air attack on Morozovsk in Russia’s Rostov Oblast. Rostov Oblast governor Vasily Golubev claimed that “most of the UAVs were destroyed, no one was injured” during a fixed-wing drone attack near Morozovsk and Kamensk.
Later, Russian sources published a photo of a Su-24 allegedly at the Morozovsk air base showing signs of minor shrapnel damage.
Additionally, the photos show the alleged wreckage of one of the Ukrainian drones that had attacked the base.
The previously reported Ukrainian drone attack on Russian facilities occurred late on 15 December, as one-way attack UAVs targeted multiple facilities in occupied Crimea and adjacent areas of Kherson Oblast.
The occasional Ukrainian drone attacks are taking place in the background of Russia’s daily Shahed drone attacks on Ukraine.
Earlier, the Ukrainian company Terminal Autonomy announced the successful completion of procurement efforts designed to support the combat deployment of their AQ 400 Scythe suicide drones with a range of 750 km. The company said it produces 100 Scythes monthly and targets 500 monthly units.
Read more:
- Drones attack Russia’s tactical bomber base in Rostov Oblast (updated)
- Ukraine starts mass production of 750 km range “kamikaze” drones
- Ukraine launches drone attack on multiple sites in occupied Crimea
- Ukraine downs 30 of 31 Shahed drones in night attack, many with machine guns
- Here is a map of all Ukraine’s 2023 drone strikes on Russian targets