By Exclusive satellite images obtained by CNN show the aftermath of Ukrainian attacks on the Belbek airbase in the occupied port city of Sevastopol, Crimea. The images, taken by US satellite imaging company BlackSky and space technology firm Maxar, reveal three destroyed Russian jets and significant damage to buildings at the airbase on Wednesday.
Two of the destroyed jets can be seen burned out on the main flight line, while a third is parked on a protective embankment. The satellite images also show a destroyed building nearby and another that has sustained significant damage. These hardware losses come after two days of Ukrainian attacks on Sevastopol, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, claimed on Telegram Friday that the Russians had “successfully repelled a massive enemy attack on Sevastopol,” destroying “dozens” of unmanned aerial vehicles and “more than five sea drones.” He also mentioned that the city experienced a partial power outage due to drone debris falling on a power substation.
This attack marks the second time Belbek has been targeted by the Ukrainians in the last 48 hours. When questioned about a possible Ukrainian strike on Belbek, Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian army’s South, stated on Thursday that they could not provide any details due to a lack of verified information at the time.
An insurgent Ukrainian group in Crimea, Atesh, claimed on Telegram after the second strike that an artillery warehouse at Belbek airfield was damaged, and that “significant damage to the airfield infrastructure as a result of secondary detonation was also recorded.” However, none of the satellite images seen by CNN showed any signs of a missile or artillery weapons warehouse being hit or secondary detonations occurring.
Despite Moscow’s recent upper hand in its ground campaign, Kyiv’s forces have enjoyed sustained successes targeting Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, either through missile strikes or sea drone attacks. In March, Ukraine claimed to have hit two Russian naval vessels, along with a communications center and several other facilities belonging to the Black Sea Fleet, in a huge overnight attack. More than 20 Russian naval vessels have now been disabled or destroyed, representing a third of the entire fleet.
Meanwhile, Russia has been making advances in northeastern Ukraine, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to postpone his participation in all international events in the coming days as his troops defend against the surprise offensive in the Kharkiv region. The offensive is the most serious cross-border ground assault since Ukraine recaptured the Kharkiv region in the late summer of 2022.
Russian forces have taken control of more than nine villages close to the border since the start of Moscow’s push, with the town of Vovchansk, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Kharkiv, being the scene of some of the most intense battles. However, NATO believes that Russian troops don’t have the numbers necessary for a “strategic” breakthrough in Kharkiv, according to Gen. Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Zelensky met with senior military officials in Kharkiv earlier on Thursday, describing an “extremely difficult” outlook for Kyiv’s troops on the ground. The situation unfolds as Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, pledging to deepen their strategic partnership in a stark show of their growing alignment.
Credit: CNN.com
