Ukrainian missile strike cripples key Russian airbase in Crimea
As a result of the recent Ukrainian attack on the Belbek airport near Sevastopol over the past few days, the Russians lost a significant amount of valuable equipment. In addition to the machinery, the aggressor's army suffered equally important losses: the entire aviation fuel supply.
11:23 AM EDT, May 18, 2024
Let us recall that the Ukrainians attacked the Belbek airport on Wednesday, May 15. In the following days, the Russians regularly found fragments of ammunition at the base, which served as evidence of what the Ukrainian armed forces had used. These were ATACMS missiles, containing nearly 1000 smaller M74 submunitions.
It quickly became evident that the weapons delivered by the USA left a real battleground in the Russian base in Crimea. The first satellite images showed that the Russian Federation's army lost MiG-31 aircraft and S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft systems as a result of the attack.
Reports about the attack on Belbek continue to surface. This time, satellite images show that the Ukrainians managed to destroy the entire supply of aviation fuel stored at the airport. Thus, the planes stationed there (those that were not killed) were grounded.
The Russians lost all fuel tanks in Belbek
The Belbek airport served civilian flights until 2014. Only after the annexation of Crimea by Russia was it designated a military airport. Since then, planes used by the army have been stationed there, primarily squadrons of MiG-31, Su-27, and Su-35 fighters.
Fuel supplies for the planes were also stored in Belbek to maintain flight continuity and the ability to conduct regular attacks or training flights. However, in the last attack on May 15, the Ukrainians destroyed all 18 aviation fuel tanks located at the airbase. Consequently, the remaining planes in Belbek were grounded.
Even though some were not damaged during the attack, which specific machines were affected by the ATACMS barrage? The lack of fuel in Belbek will reduce the flights of one of the most dangerous aircraft in the Russian Federation's arsenal. This refers to the MiG-31, which in the "K" version can carry hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles. It is also the fastest currently operated combat aircraft in the world, explained Wirtualna Polska journalist Łukasz Michalik.
Among the aircraft stationed in Belbek are also Su-27s, interceptor fighters used to gain air superiority due to their high maximum speed of 2.3 Mach (about 1491 mph) and valuable armament, including guided missiles like the R-73. The Russians also grounded their Su-35s in Belbek. These are multirole fighters that accelerate to speeds close to the Su-27 and carry various armaments (R-73, R-27 missiles, KAB and FAB bomb families, and S-8 or SB-13 rocket pods).
