Russian military equipment destroyed following Tuesday’s attack on an airbase in Novofedorivka in annexed Crimea was worth $650-850 million, the Ukrainian edition of Forbes estimated.
Satellite images from the US company Planet Labs show that there were more than 20 aircraft at Saky airbase a few hours before the attack. There were mostly Su-30SM fighters and Su-24MR reconnaissance planes, as well as one Il-76 multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter and several helicopters, said Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ihnat.
Forbes estimates the value of the Su-30SM at $50m, the Su-24MR at $6m and the Il-76 at $86m. The base in Novofedorivka has previously been used to conduct air strikes against Ukraine.
#Ukraine: The first satellite pics of the aftermath of the Russian airbase in Novofedorivka, #Crimea have arrived: they show massive destruction.
We count approx. 5x Su-30SM multirole fighters & 6x Su-24M/MR strike/reconnaissance aircraft that were destroyed. 4 more is possible. pic.twitter.com/wOF4iWcXqN
— Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) August 10, 2022
The authorities in Kyiv did not take responsibility for Tuesday’s shelling of the facility, but the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported that the enemy had lost nine aircraft that day. On Wednesday, the US daily Washington Post reported that the attack on the Russian air force base had been carried out by Ukrainian special forces.
Forbes writes that the Russian version that the explosions were caused by negligence and a fire in the airborne ammunition depot is questionable, as the first footage of the attack shows that several explosions occurred almost simultaneously, with a distance of about 750 metres between them.
#Ukraine: New footage from the ground at the Russian airbase in Novofedorivka, #Crimea, shows that at least 1 Su-24M attack aircraft was totally destroyed due to a “violation of fire safety requirements”. The real reason for the catastrophic explosions today is currently unknown. pic.twitter.com/sGRa0MtJZz
— Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) August 9, 2022
According to ‘Forbes’, there could have been an attack from the HIMARS system with an ATACMS missile with a range of 300 km, which Ukraine has not officially received, an attack with a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile or a US Harpoon missile, or an attack from an unmanned aircraft. Diversion is also not excluded.
Novofedorivka lies more than 200 km behind the current front line, far beyond the range of the weapons Ukraine has used so far, excluding Harpoon and Neptun anti-ship missiles.