HISTORY
after the attack on Sevastopol, on Sunday October 30, they infiltrated the Russian military airfield at Veritye in the Pskov
region. The base is located 500 km north
of the Ukrainian border and 110 km east
of Latvia. It is home to the 15th Brigade of the Army Air Force, which is equipped with a wide range of helicopters – it
has 16 Mi-8 MTV-5 transport helicopters,
12 Ka-52 attack helicopters, as well as 12
Mi-28N attack helicopters. It also uses older Mi-35M, Mi-8 MTPR-1s for electronic
warfare, and giant Mi-26 transports. The
Ukrainian commandos infiltrated there in
broad daylight without anyone trying to
stop them. Its members calmly planted
charges and even videotaped themselves
while doing so. Subsequent explosions
destroyed two Ka-52s and one Mi-28N.
This was confirmed by satellite images.
Two other helicopters wereto be damaged.
Russian media reported that one helicopter was subsequently found to contain
a 400 gram TNT charge which, for an unknown reason, did not explode.
Ukrainian losses
Following intensive ground operations, air
power was similarly heavily deployed on
both sides. Thus, losses of aviation equipment did not occur only as a result of commando raids on airbases in the enemy rear.
A Ukrainian Su-27 from the 39th Tactical
Air Force Brigade was shot down near the
village of Shishaki in the Poltava region on
October 10. Its pilot, Colonel Oleg Shupik,
was killed at the age of 56. He had left the
Ukrainian Air Force in 2006 and worked at
the Ministry of Transportation but returned
to the Armed Forces on the day of the
Russian invasion on February 24.
Two days later, on Wednesday October
10, another Ukrainian aircraft was shot
down in the same area near the village of
Shishaki. This time it was supposed to be
a Sukhoi Su-24MR with the designation
“yellow 59”. It was attacking enemy fortified targets and after dropping bombs was
hit by a Russian fighter on its return. The
pilots tried to bring the damaged aircraft
to the nearest airfield but failed. One of
them survived the crash, but the other pilot was killed. Later, information appeared
in the Russian media that this Su-24 had
been shot down by a MiG-31 fighter jet.
These are increasingly being used by the
Russian air force to launch long-range
attacks using R-37 missiles against Ukrainian aircraft.
On the same day, October 12, the Ukrainian Air Force also lost one MiG-29 near
the town of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine.
Its pilot shot down a Shahed-136 kamikaze
drone, but after its explosion a fragment
Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service
Photo: Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service
of the Black Sea Fleet after the sinking of
the cruiser Moskva. The 125 m long vessel,
with a full displacement of 4,000 tons, has
a crew of 200 and carries a 100 mm caliber
gun, eight launchers for Kalibr, Oniks or
Zirkon missiles and 24 launchers for anti-aircraft missiles.
Subsequent satellite imagery revealed damage to three ships. The third one would
be Makarov’s sister ship, the frigate Admiral Essen. One of the damaged frigates,
supposedly the Admiral Makarov, had to
be towed by tugboats from the open sea in
front of the harbor to the pier. The situation
was also captured by satellite imagery.
Whatever the outcome of the attack, it
showed that the Russian fleet is vulnerable. After all, bases should be heavily defended, especially in wartime, and just getting inside is a feat. Russia has obligingly
branded it an act of terrorism. However,
the targets of the attack were warships,
which routinely shell Ukrainian cities with
Kalibr missiles. Which of these is closer to
the definition of terrorism?
The second Ukrainian action, although
significantly smaller in scale, was all the
more audacious. It did not involve any
remotely piloted unmanned vehicles. Although Ukraine again has not officially
claimed responsibility, it was most likely
carried out by its special forces. The day
Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service
Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service
The wreckage of a Russian Kh-101 missile that was shot down near
Chernihiv on October 19.
The Russian side has released footage of its Su-25s during combat flights.
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INFO Eduard
December 2022