Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Another Russian fighter jet and a munition depot was hit as well.
Ukrainian long-range drones targeted the Khanskaya military airfield in Russia’s Republic of Adygea early Sunday morning, with specialists from Ukraine’s Security Service, known as the SBU, coordinating the overnight operation.
Official reports confirmed direct hits on two key warplanes alongside an on-site ammunition storage facility.
“Last night, the Security Service of Ukraine successfully attacked the military airfield Khanskaya in the Republic of Adygea, Russian Federation,” the SBU reported.
The agency added: “The distance to the target is about 500 kilometers.”
The information has not been independently verified, but OSINT satellite footage of the base, shared by Exilenova+, shows what appears to be two craters on the airfield.
The base is located 500 kilometers from Ukraine and sits roughly six kilometers from the regional capital of Maykop.
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Blazes and explosions
Around 1:00 a.m. local time, residents in Maykop heard drone engines whining overhead. Russian defenses opened fire moments later. Eyewitnesses soon recorded loud secondary explosions and towering blazes across the airfield complex.
The strike hit a $100 million Su-35 fighter, one of Russia’s most advanced air superiority jets. Drones also damaged an Su-34 fighter-bomber, valued at $50 million, which Moscow relies on to drop heavy guided bombs on Ukrainian positions.
Although officially designated for pilot training, Khanskaya serves as a key forward staging hub. Recent satellite images showed dozens of aircraft parked on its tarmac, including Su-24 bombers and heavy cargo planes.
Explosions are nothing new here. Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted the same installation.
Pressure across the border
Sunday’s operation capped a busy weekend of coordinated long-range strikes. Just twenty-four hours earlier, Ukrainian drones hit the Tsymbulovo droneport in Russia’s Oryol region.
Fires tore through workshops. The targeted facility had been deploying turbojet loitering munitions directly toward Kyiv.
Together, these twin strikes highlight an expanding campaign to destroy Russian air assets on the ground.
