Counterintelligence of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, has carried out a mission against a deep-rear military facility located on the territory of the russian federation. The target was the airfield near Kursk, sources in SSU told journalists from RBC-Ukraine and Ukrinform.
According to the data available so far, 16 drones were launched overnight, targeting four Su-30 and one MiG-29 fighter aircraft.
Read more: Deep Rear russian Repair Base Gets Struck Days After Receiving Batch of Weapons
"Among the affected targets are the radars of the S-300 complex and two Pantsir systems," the report seen by RBC-Ukraine reads, referring to the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft artillery and missile system.
Local residents in russia heard 13 explosions, the other three were downed by russian air defense. But the air defense systems ended up in the list of potential casualties, it both confirms that the base was properly protected and raises the question of why the attack was possible in the first place.
The results of the operation would be verified and announced in the near future, the source said as they claimed all remaining 13 UAVs reached their targets.
About the Airbase in Kursk
As a reminder, this was not the first attack on the Kursk air base: previously, drones attacked this facility in December 2022, which resulted in a fire on oil storage tanks.
Archive footage of the attack on the Kursk airbase in December 2022
Also, Defense Express shared some satellite photos of this base with our Ukrainian audience in February this year. We noticed 12 fighter jets, 5 helicopters, 5 Su-25 attack aircraft, and a few heavy planes, one of them being an IL-type aircraft – either an IL-20 aircraft for ELINT, an IL-22PP electronic warfare aircraft, or an IL-22 airborne command center – stationed there back in the day.
In conclusion, we should note that this new drone assault on the airbase in Kursk continues a series of similar incidents happening all across russia, following the successful strike on the Soltsy airfield on August 19th and on the Shaykovka airfield on August 21st, which led to one Tu-22M3 completely destroyed and another same aircraft damaged, respectively.
Read more: Tu-22M3 Lost Because of All Airfield Security Personnel Sent to Frontline, russian Sources Say
