Satellite photos show destruction of Russian Shahed drone camp

Satellite images have revealed the extent of damage caused by a Ukrainian drone strike site in southern Russia where Kiev says Iranian drones were stored.

Ukraine’s General Staff said on Thursday it had attacked the base in Yeysk, Krasnodar Region, which was home to 400 Shahed drones. Videos shared on social media showed explosions and secondary detonations lighting up the night sky.

Pro-Ukrainian social media users said long-range kamikaze drones and possibly Neptune cruise missiles successfully hit the facility with the UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that have been repeatedly used against Ukrainian infrastructure.

Pictures from the Planet Labs satellite show the effects of the drone attack, including damage to warehouse buildings, the destruction of one of its roofs and signs of a fire.

Ukrainska Pravda reported that there was a precise hit on the target, triggering a second detonation. The governors of Krasnodar and Bryansk oblasts said their areas were attacked by drones allegedly shot down and that the wreckage caused little damage.

The Russian Ministry of Defense Newsweek has asked for comment, claiming that air defenses shot down dozens of Ukrainian drones that night, without referring to the destruction of the Yeysk facility.

The Kyiv Center for National Resistance (CNR) reported on Saturday that Moscow had ordered its appointed authorities in Ukraine’s occupied territories to investigate the use of seized factories to produce kamikaze drones.

The aim of producing the drones in eastern Ukraine with the help of students from vocational schools would be to shorten delivery times for launches. The CNR said the devices would be stored in urban areas, effectively turning the local population into a human shield.

Ukraine has increased its drone attacks on Russian military and energy infrastructure in an attempt to contain Moscow’s military machine.

According to social media users, drones attacked the Khanskaya military airfield, where the 272nd Russian Training Aviation Regiment is based in the Republic of Adygea, in the early hours of Thursday, destroying a fuel and lubricant depot.

The day before, Kiev said a drone strike set fire to the 67th Arsenal of Russia’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate (GRAU) near the city of Karachev in Bryansk Oblast. According to Ukraine, guided bombs, rockets, artillery weapons and North Korean ammunition were located there.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian security services told the Kyiv Independent that they were behind a drone attack on Borisoglebsk military airbase in Russia’s Voronezh Oblast.