Ukraine says it destroyed glide bombs at a Russian air base that aircraft fly out of to bomb the front lines
Ukrainian forces used long-range drones to attack a key Russian airbase overnight, destroying warehouses that stored fuel, ammunition, and highly destructive glide bombs.
The attack targeted the Marinovka airfield in Russia's Volgograd region, a site actively used to launch aircraft that bomb the front lines, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine told Business Insider on Thursday, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operations.
It appeared to mark Ukraine's latest long-range strike on an important military installation inside Russia.
The SBU source said that the attack was a joint effort between the SBU and Ukraine's Special Operations Forces. The strikes on the Russian airfield triggered explosions at warehouses storing guided aerial bombs, ammo, and fuel throughout the night and morning.
Video footage circulating on social media is said to show black plumes of smoke rising from the airfield. Business Insider, however, was not able to independently verify the details of the video.
"The SBU works with surgical precision at the airfields from which the enemy attacks Ukraine," the source said, per a translation of remarks shared with BI, adding that each strike like this "reduces the superiority of the Russians in the air and significantly limits their aviation capabilities."
Ukraine is prohibited from using its arsenal of powerful, Western-made missiles to strike inside Russia. To work around these restrictions, Kyiv has relied heavily on locally produced, long-range attack drones to wage a monthslong campaign targeting Moscow's military and energy facilities.
During this campaign, Ukraine has specifically attempted to clamp down on the Russian glide-bomb threat.