Recent satellite imagery reveals the impact of a Ukrainian drone assault on the Morozovsk military air base in Russia, reportedly leading to the destruction of a Su-34 fighter-bomber.
Ukrainian Defense Intelligence confirmed details surrounding the August 3rd attack on Morozovsk airfield, Rostov region, Russia:
🔹️One Su-34 has been destroyed;
🔹️Two additional aircraft potentially damaged by debris;
🔹️Significant destruction of Russian ammunition… https://t.co/3VRUhKAiFq pic.twitter.com/lRnj8t1vgD— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 5, 2024
Located over 160 miles from the front lines, Morozovsk serves as a base for Russian Su-27 and Su-34 jets, which have been actively conducting strikes against Ukraine, as per Ukraine’s SBU security service.
“The enemy’s air capability has sustained heavy losses, resulting in large scorched areas from the secondary detonations of munitions,” stated Ukrainian intelligence via Telegram.
Images from Planet Labs, dated August 4, showed damage to Russian ammunition storage facilities, along with signs of fire near various structures and parking areas, according to U.S.-funded Schemes, a project by Radio Liberty.
The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the operation against the Morozovsk base and additional oil depots on August 3, stating they hit warehouses with Russian glide bombs while verifying damage to air-defense systems and combat aircraft.
“This operation was executed by the Security Service of Ukraine and Defence Intelligence in collaboration with the military,” they added in a Facebook post.
Since the onset of the conflict in February 2022, Ukraine has routinely targeted Russian military installations with long-range drones, asserting these sites are valid targets in the ongoing war.
Morozovsk has been hit multiple times during the conflict; in April, a coordinated strike reportedly led to the destruction of six Russian aircraft and damage to eight more at the base.
On August 3, President Volodymyr Zelensky supported the military’s strategy, stating that targeting Russian airfields is a justified response.
In late July, journalist Mark Krutov from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty shared satellite images from a previous Ukrainian drone strike on Morozovsk, indicating minimal impact to infrastructure or aircraft at the time.
“High-resolution images of the Morozovsk air base before and after the July 22 drone strike show no apparent damage,” he noted, indicating that operations resumed as normal shortly after the event.