Ukraine attacks Russian airfield in Crimea - S-400 and command post potentially targeted

Illustrative photo: Consequences of attack on the Russian airfield in Dzhankoy on April 17 (Getty Images)

Sources of the RBC-Ukraine in Ukrainian Defense Forces and partisan movement Atesh revealed details about the aftermath of the strike on the Russian military airfield in temporarily occupied Dzhankoy (Crimea).

Sources inform that the strikes on Dzhankoy are the result of successful actions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the consequences and results of the strike are not yet definitively known.

At the same time, the partisan movement Atesh has already clarified some details about where exactly the strike hit in Dzhankoy.

“We confirm the success of a series of strikes that were carried out at night on the territory of the Dzhankoy airfield,” the partisans’ message said.

Detonation and damage to the S-400 complex

In particular, agents of Atesh confirm detonation at the facility.

“Previously, our agents observed the delivery of long crates to equipped caponiers at this location,” they note.

Moreover, according to the partisans, it was possible to damage the advanced S-400 complex “with the explosion of the launcher and serious damage to other vehicles of the complex.”

“The occupiers trusted their advanced air defense complex so much that they stored missile depots directly near the launcher,” says Atesh.

Damage near the Russian command post

Atesh partisans also reported serious damage near the command post of the 5th anti-aircraft missile division of the 18th anti-aircraft missile regiment of the 31st air defense division of the 4th Army of the Air Force of the Russian Federation.

“For the safety of our agents, we refrain from disclosing additional information. Details have been passed on to the Defense Forces of Ukraine,” notes the Atesh.

Explosions in Dzhankoy

Russian occupiers turned Dzhankoy into a hub for deploying manpower and equipment to the front in Ukraine after the occupation of Crimea. At the same time, earlier, the military leadership of Ukraine repeatedly expressed the thesis that Russian facilities in Crimea are legitimate targets for strikes.

In particular, today, this thesis was reiterated by Natalia Humeniuk, the head of the Unified Coordination Press Center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, commenting on the strike on the airfield in Dzhankoy on April 17, which resulted in explosions and a fire. She did not go into great detail about the consequences of the strikes, recommending waiting for an official announcement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.