Ukraine strikes Belbek airfield in Russia-annexed Crimea
On 31 January, several explosions were reported near the Belbek airfield in occupied Crimea. The Russian authorities swiftly blocked traffic in the area, while local residents reported a severe fire on the airbase. The Armed Forces of Ukraine acknowledged their successful operations, stating, "We are reclaiming what's ours."
Russian sources rapidly disclosed losses following the attack on Belbek. For instance, a Russian war correspondent reported that three aircraft at the airfield had been damaged: two Su-27s and one Su-30. Two of these may be seriously damaged, although the Russians believe they can still be repaired; one aircraft is said to have been completely destroyed. "A missile struck it directly," the war correspondent stated.
Furthermore, approximately 12 Russian military personnel were reportedly killed at the airfield or in its vicinity, with more than 10 sustaining injuries. "Some aircraft could not be launched after receiving the missile threat alert. This resulted in significant losses," a source within the Ministry of Defence revealed. Additionally, missiles allegedly struck a Russian special force training camp near the settlement of Gvardeyskoye, killing nine elite GRU operatives and injuring seven. Several pieces of equipment were also destroyed.
The Russian Ministry of Defence later claimed Russian forces intercepted 20 Ukrainian missiles—17 reportedly near Sevastopol and three in other locations. A missile during the previous day's explosions destroyed a communications node at the Belbek airfield, reported the Russian Telegram channel ASTRA, citing sources. The communications node, part of military unit 80159, was hit, resulting in a fire that engulfed a 30 square meter area; however, no casualties were initially reported. An "unidentified" missile is said to have struck Belbek.
International OSINT researchers have also confirmed that a strike occurred at the Belbek radar town.
In addition, the authorities in Crimea reported that 12 houses suffered damage within the Ust-Belbek garden community. A screenshot from the monitoring group Crimean Wind clearly shows these houses situated around 250-350 meters from the suspected explosion site at the Belbek radar town airfield.
Natalya Humenyuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's southern defense forces, asserted that during the strikes on Russian military targets in Crimea on 31 January, five missiles found their targets, something even the Russians admitted.
"The occupiers themselves have recognized that five missiles found targets on the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea, even pinpointing the locations where this occurred," Humenyuk said during a telethon.
She also confirmed the information that the Russians failed to scramble their aircraft at Belbek airfield before the attack.
"This confirmation from the Air Force Commander underscores that Crimea is Ukraine, and we are reclaiming what's ours," Humenyuk emphasized.
Earlier, Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, announced plans to intensify attacks on Russian infrastructure.
"Theoretically, there is a plan under which all this is happening. And I believe this plan includes all the main objects of critical infrastructure and military infrastructure of the Russian Federation," the chief of military intelligence stated.