A barrage of explosions rocked the Russian military aviation base in Crimea, with fires burning for hours after the strikes. The Kremlin blamed American ATACMS missiles fired by Ukrainian Armed Forces for the attack on Belbek airfield. Contradicting the official Russian narrative, independent analysts and local social media reported major damage, with fires burning and secondary explosions following the strikes.
Images showed the aftermath of the attack, with warnings of unexploded cluster munitions scattered around. The military monitoring group Krymsky Veter reported massive fires at the airfield, potentially targeting ammunition bunkers and fuel depots. Satellite imagery confirmed multiple fires, contradicting Russian claims of intercepting all incoming missiles.
The Ukrainian strikes, using MGM-140 ATACMS missiles, followed previous attacks on Russian military targets in Crimea. The precision-guided weapons caused significant damage, highlighting Ukraine’s capabilities in the conflict. The ongoing conflict saw no official Ukrainian response, but a video circulated, showing the impact of the missile strikes on Belbek airfield.