Scratch 2 Su-27s! Ukrainian Drones Are Scraping Russian Air Power Off Crimea Faster Than Ever.
Ukrainian raids have hit 14 Russian aircraft in Crimea since August.
On Friday night or early Saturday morning, one-way attack drones operated by the Ukrainian state security service—the vaunted SBU—struck Belbek air base in Russian-occupied Crimea, 150 miles from the front line in southern Ukraine.
The drones hit two Russian air force Sukhoi Su-27 fighters and destroyed at least one of them, the SBU claimed. Captures from the drones’ video feeds seem to confirm the hits. One of the twin-engine, supersonic Su-27s was reportedly fully armed and preparing for takeoff when the drone barreled in.
The SBU claimed it also hit the control tower at Belbek, which is home to the Russian air force’s 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment. Damage to the tower “could complicate the organization and control of flights at the airfield,” the SBU stated.
The overnight strikes bring to 14 the number of Russian fighters, bombers and helicopters that Ukrainian special forces have hit on the ground in Crimea since August.
