Significance of drone strike on Russia Kushchevskaya air base assessed

A successful strike by Ukrainian drones on the Kushchevska airbase will reduce the ability of Russian aviation to strike along the front line.

This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defense on X (Twitter).

As noted in the report, on April 27, it was reported that the SBU used drones to strike the Kushchevskaya air base, as well as the Ilyich and Slavyansky oil refineries in the Krasnodar Krai. The Russian military said it had shot down 66 UAVs, indicating the scale of the attack.

According to British intelligence, there are a number of Russian aircraft at the Kushchevskaya air base, including Su-34 and Su-35. They are used daily in strike operations against Ukrainian frontline positions, including the active use of glide bombs. Open-source video shows several sets of glide bombs being destroyed in a warehouse at the airbase.

Russian planes from Kushchevskaya and a number of other airbases typically fly 100 to 150 sorties a day, with a significant number of them launching munitions along the entire front line, while Russia is trying to achieve a breakthrough solely through firepower, the report said.

"Ukraine's ability to disrupt Russian tactical air, particularly glide bomb usage, is key to the wider defense of the frontlines. This successful strike is likely to force further Russian dispersal of fighters as well as reallocation of air defense assets to plug gaps," the British Ministry of Defense said.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 30/04/2024