During the summer, a significant scandal erupted over an incident where a Russian reconnaissance drone effortlessly flew into the "Mirgorod" airfield and targeted a Russian missile at the military aircraft stationed there. Recently, it seems this incident has repeated itself in Dnipro, reports Forbes.
On Friday or shortly before, a Russian reconnaissance drone flew without hindrance over the "Aviatorskoe-Dnipro" airbase near the city of Dnipro, which is approximately 95 km from the front line.
As seen in footage published by Russian propaganda, the drone aimed at a shelter that likely housed a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet. A few minutes later, a ballistic "Iskander" missile fell and exploded directly above the shelter, presumably destroying the MiG.
According to Forbes, since the fall of 2023, Russians employing such tactics have likely managed to destroy at least two Su-27s, four MiG-29s, a Su-25, and possibly a Mi-24.
"This is an impressive level of losses for a military that may have fewer than 100 operational combat aircraft and only about 50 combat ships," the publication states.
The authors of the article cite the opinion of Jack Watling, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London. He indicated that such successful "Iskander" attacks are only possible because Russia conducts "continuous and close surveillance" of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine still lacks sufficient air defense systems to fully secure its airspace—even over airbases.
Forbes highlights that the Western F-16s and Mirage 2000s, which hold great promise, could face a similar fate if Ukraine cannot significantly enhance its air defense capabilities.
Destruction of Aircraft in Mirgorod
As reported by UNIAN, on July 1, Russians launched a missile strike on the military airfield in Mirgorod, Poltava region, where several Ukrainian combat aircraft were present at the time. Former representative of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ignat, commented on the attack information, stating that the strike on the airfield resulted in losses, but "not as significant as claimed by the enemy."
However, the most significant discontent among the Ukrainian public stemmed from the fact that the missile strike was preceded by a relatively long flight of a Russian reconnaissance drone over the airfield. Military expert Valeriy Romanenko noted at that time that the airfield's air defense was obliged to shoot down the reconnaissance drone.
On August 16, the story repeated itself in Dnipro.