In a dramatic video posted on Thursday, a Ukrainian drone attack on a military airfield in southern Russia was captured. The video shows three small explosions amidst huge plumes of smoke filling the sky above the airbase, with a man driving through the flat landscape delivering an expletive-laden rant as he captures the scene on camera. The attack resulted in a fire at a Ministry of Defense facility located 185 miles from the border with Ukraine, although the nature of the facility was not specified by Russian officials. Ukrainian sources revealed that the attack targeted warehouses at the Marinovka airbase storing anti-tank weapons and fuel, reducing the Russians’ aviation capabilities.
The Marinovka airbase in Russia, home to the 11th Composite Aviation Regiment of the Russian Air Force, was the target of the drone attack. Satellite imagery taken on August 19 showed over 40 planes parked on the tarmac at the base, with fires present on the site during the attack. The drone attack is part of a series of Ukrainian actions to take the war deep inside Russia, with multiple attacks taking place overnight in various regions. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that thirteen UAVs were shot down in the Volgograd region, along with others in Rostov, Belgorod, Voronezh, Bryansk, and Kursk regions. A major oil depot in Proletarsk, Rostov, continued to burn after being targeted by a drone attack, and a large-scale attack on Moscow on Wednesday was described as the biggest of the war.
The daring assault by Ukraine has upended the war, with troops and heavy armor crossing into the southern Russian region of Kursk. Strategic bridges have been damaged, border villages taken over, and POWs captured as the Kremlin struggles to repel the incursion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Sumy, where the attack was launched, while a growing wave of local residents have fled the conflict zone. In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, heads of border regions reported that over 133,000 residents had been internally displaced since the incursion began, with 115,000 people evacuated from other regions bordering Ukraine. Concrete shelters were being set up at bus stops and other locations in Kursk to accommodate the increasing number of displaced residents.
The escalating conflict has seen Ukraine intensify its cross-border operations, targeting strategic Russian sites with aerial attacks. The ongoing attacks have seen a significant impact on Russian infrastructure and capabilities, as Ukraine continues its offensive deep inside Russian territory. The precision and audacity of the attacks have caught the Russian military off guard, showcasing Ukraine’s commitment to defending its borders and pushing back against Russian aggression. The conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis with thousands of civilians fleeing their homes, seeking safety from the escalating violence. The situation remains volatile as both sides escalate their military actions, with no immediate end in sight to the conflict.
