Ukraine said satellite photos showed a Russian warehouse used to launch Iranian-made drones and train trainees was destroyed.
The photos posted by the Ukrainian Navy follow reports of a large explosion near the Russian airport in the southern region of Krasnodar.
Moscow has not yet commented on the report but said it shot down several drones in the area on Friday night.
Navy officials in Kyiv said several training instructors and students learning to operate Iranian-made Shahed drones were killed in the attack, which they said occurred Friday night.
In a Telegram post, Navy officials in Kyiv said the operation was planned and carried out in cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence agencies.
The base is located on the Sea of Azov opposite the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, data from Planet Labs – the US-based company that took the photos – shows.
“New satellite images confirm the destruction on the night of June 21 of the Shahed-136/Geran-2 preparation and storage facilities, training buildings,” navy officials wrote in a post. The training, control and communication points of these drones are located in the Krasnodar Territory. to Facebook.
Photos posted to social networks show two large warehouses divided by a road running north-south on April 11. Further photos taken on Saturday show one of the warehouses completely destroyed, with the other warehouse significantly damaged.
Russia on Friday said it shot down 114 drones in Ukraine’s attacks on oil refineries and military targets in the south of the country. Officials said one person was killed by falling debris, but did not mention the attack on the drone base.
On Saturday, Russian-appointed officials in occupied Crimea said three people including two children were killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on the peninsula.
Mikhail Razvozhaev – who Moscow appointed regional governor in 2020 – said nearly 100 people were injured.
The Russian Defense Ministry said five shells were destroyed by air defense forces, but debris from the interception fell in coastal areas. Officials said the missile was a US-made ATACMS – capable of striking deep into Russian-held territory.
Elsewhere, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said Ukrainian drone strikes on Sunday night killed one person and injured three others.
Vyacheslav Gladkov said one of the drones destroyed a parking lot in Graivoron – about 6 km from the Ukrainian border.
Meanwhile, officials in Kiev said two people were injured and multiple residential buildings were damaged in a Russian missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital on Saturday night.
Ruslan Kravchenko, head of the Kiev regional government, said people were injured by falling debris. He noted that six towers, 20 private homes and several shops were damaged in the attack.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it destroyed two out of three missiles launched by Russia towards the Kiev area.
In his nightly address from the capital, President Volodymyr Zelensky once again reiterated his call for Western nations to provide new air defense systems to Ukraine, calling in particular for US-made Patriot systems.
“Ukraine needs the necessary forces and means to destroy those carrying these bombs, especially Russia’s combat air forces wherever they are located,” he said.
