Ukraine says hit Russian airfield in annexed Crimea

FILE – Smoke rises over the site of explosion at an ammunition storage of the Russian army near the village of Mayskoye, Crimea, on Aug. 16, 2022.
| Photo Credit: AP

Ukraine said on April 18 its forces had struck a large Russian airfield on the annexed Crimean peninsula, destroying an array of military equipment.

The attack took place in the early hours of April 17 at the Dzhankoi air base, on the northern part of the peninsula seized by Moscow in 2014.

Ukraine’s military intelligence said the operation was “successful,” damaging radars and air defence systems, among other targets.

“The number of enemy aviation objects destroyed or damaged and the number of casualties among personnel of the Russian occupation army is being clarified,” it said.

Videos purportedly showing explosions and sirens blaring at the air field had circulated on social media the day before, but Kyiv did not immediately comment.

President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed his forces carried out the attack in an evening address, thanking the military for what he called a “correct strike against the occupier”.