russia continues to militarize the occupied Crimea. In Kerch, russian invaders will convert a civilian airport for military use.
The report comes from the Schemes project of Radio Liberty, based on satellite imagery. It is noted that this airport is likely to become a new point for launching Shahed attack drones, which the russian federation uses to terrorize Ukrainian cities.
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According to journalists, in March 2025, the Kerch airport, located in the eastern part of Crimea, changed its purpose from civilian to military. This is confirmed by both data from the russian Unified State Real Estate Register and satellite images, which Schemes have reviewed. The footage shows large-scale works being carried out by the occupiers on the territory of the airport.
At the same time, satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows that the conversion of the airport for military use is still ongoing. They compared the recent satellite imagery with earlier images from February and June 2025, sourced from Estonian Delfi news outlet. Satellite imagery revealed that Russian forces had built fortifications and camouflage structures around the runway.
The images were shown to aviation expert Anatolii Khrapchynskyi. According to him, The images likely show a drone operations base designed for equipping, storing, and launching UAVs.
"Camouflage structures measuring approximately 12 by 9 meters are suitable for housing equipment, UAV preparation zones, and air defense systems such as the Pantsir-S1 or Tor-M2. These missile systems fit well within those dimensions and could provide air defense coverage for the facility," he explained.
The expert drew attention to the sites where the invaders may deploy air defense systems in the future. The runway remains unchanged, as it already meets the requirements for UAV launches, according to Khrapchynskyi.
"As Khrapchynskyi notes, russian authorities are rebuilding Kerch airport to convert it into another launch site for Shahed drones targeting mainland Ukraine," Schemes added.
Earlier Defense Express reported that Ukrainian drones had hit high-tech military facility near moscow.
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