Satellite images from March 9, 2024 reveal ten Mi-28 and two Ka-52 attack helicopters, as well as four Su-25 attack aircraft currently stationed at the military air base in Dzhankoi, occupied Crimea.
Apart from real aircraft, the russian Aerospace Forces for an unknown purpose also painted one fake Mi-28 on the airfield, OSINT analyst MT Anderson noted alongside the sat-photos he posted on X (former Twitter).
Read more: Fake Aircraft Paintings on russian Airfields Could be a List of Casualties
Anderson points out how the imagery shows relocation of an S-400 air defense system division from the old, specially equipped position to a new unprepared location.
However, looking at the picture raises suspicion that those are actually fake air defense systems there, while the real S-400s could have been moved to another place, for example, deeper into the territory of the russian federation to repel Ukrainian attacks utilizing long-range kamikaze drones that have been causing significant damage to russian oil refineries.
On the part of Defense Express, the attack helicopters and tactical aircraft deployed at the Dzhankoi airfield are highly likely involved in russian military operations in Southern Ukraine and therefore make important targets for Ukrainian forces. However, it is usually the lack of long-range weapons that prevents the Ukrainians from attacking them, an issue we covered in greater detail in this article.
As for the fake "Mi-28" painted on the runway, there can be only one explanation here: either the russian invasion forces have lost at least one Mi-28 somewhere, even if due to malfunction, and marked it on the ground or they are trying to mislead the Ukrainians about the number of active rotorcraft available at the airfield.
Earlier Defense Express reported that the painted fake "aircraft" have been already noticed at as many as 9 air bases, and suggested what could be the purpose of these actions.
Read more: Attack Helicopters on Crimean Beach, Or How russians Hide Their Aviation on Secret Air Base at Seaside Resort (Satellite Photo)
