1h ago 16:07
Attack on military airbase in Crimea is a huge boost for Ukraine
By Alistair Bunkall, Sky News correspondent
This attack will be embarrassing for Moscow and a huge boost for Kyiv.
Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, has been a relative safe-haven for Russians to live and holiday in. The Russian military has used the Saky airbase to launch air assaults in southern Ukraine.
We understand that a Ukrainian special forces group carried out the attack, and no Western-provided weapons were used.
This says much about the ability of highly trained Ukrainian soldiers to operate behind enemy lines and shows that Crimea is not off-limits, despite warnings by the Kremlin.
The precise extent of the damage to the airbase isn't yet clear – we were told that seven fighter jets were destroyed and more damaged but Ukrainian defence officials have also claimed nine were destroyed. Battle damage assessments (BDA) can sometimes take a few days to determine.
It's hard to overstate the reception this attack has had amongst Ukrainians – social media sites have been celebrating it and news sites have covered it widely here today.
The momentum has shifted back-and-forth in this war, but the combination of longer range Western-supplied weapons, and daring assaults like this, is helping swing things back in Ukraine's favour.
Ukraine ran out of planes, has very few tanks left. No targets.
On a tangent, how can anybody believe they could mount a counteroffensive of any size?
Even if they had any mobile units left, they would need to move out of the towns, out from protection of civilians
Just lol.60 pilots? what a load of bs
1 confirmed dead (civilian, not a pilot), 13 injured
zero confirmed planes lost
there is a short clip of a damaged Su-24 that could come from anywhere. My guess from one of bombed airfields in beginning of war
Enter hostile airspace and do what? Present a target for remaing Buk-M1s?
Test Armata as Javelin catcher?
Ukraine ran out of planes, has very few tanks left. No targets.
On a tangent, how can anybody believe they could mount a counteroffensive of any size?
Even if they had any mobile units left, they would need to move out of the towns, out from protection of civilians
Btw here are some, trying to get to Russian controlled territories with their families and possessions (to get raped and pillaged faster?)
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Ukrainian families navigate green corridor to Russian-occupied territories - CNN Video
CNN's Nic Robertson speaks with Ukrainians navigating the route toward Russian-occupied territory, south of Zaporizhzhia, to reunite with family. Flooding in the region has turned the road to mud.edition.cnn.com
If you can read it says 60 pilots AND civilians60 pilots? what a load of bs
1 confirmed dead (civilian, not a pilot), 13 injured
zero confirmed planes lost
get outta here with your indisputable evidence!If you can read it says 60 pilots AND civilians
Also there's literally a video of a destroyed SU-24
get outta here with your indisputable evidence!
The su-57 is an air superiority fighter/bomber and apparently a 5th gen one, so it should like the f-35 be able to enter hostile airspace and do whatever is needed to be done,no?
Because you know, Russia doesn't have air superiority....
The armata has active defenses, so will nullify Ukrainian advantage in anti tank missiles..
Because you know, Russian tanks tend to go pop a lot....
So, your point being what?
Nice to have a new pro Russian rape and pillage fan back on the thread.
Anyone saying they don't have planes or tanks is just making stuff up, frankly.
I think these are more likely to be intended to get the enemy to waste missiles on a low cost inflatables.
Yes, I wish people were a little more objective sometimes.
I can criticise Russia for even starting this war but I can still recognise their military situation, the various reports show the relative strengths and they aren't pretending Ukraine outnumbers Russia, quite the opposite, I think the only area that Russia were losing on in terms of power was against the functionality of the HIMARS.
Raw troop count, tanks, planes, artillery etc, they are still ahead. They have spent a hell of a lot of equipment though, and their ability to keep fielding the same numbers seems to be reducing over time, they will only have so much stock readily available, and some of it will be of questionable condition if it's been in storage for many years.
Maybe it was an inflatable plane though![]()
Couple that with AA systems on both sides (hell Russia was reported to have shot down at least 1 or 2 of their own planes if believed) and you have this weird standoff where it's mainly ground assault work going on.