File image.
Late on July 11, a suspected Russian missile and drone attack targeted the western region of Khmelnytskyi and other parts of Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainain Air Force (UAF), five Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles and 19 Geran-type suicide drones were used in the attack.
The main target of the attack was the Starokostiantyniv Air Base, the air force said in a statement, claiming that it shot down all five missiles and 11 out of 19 drones. Still, blasts were reported in the air base as well as in the capital, Kiev, and several other regions.
“It is likely that the enemy is using imitators of attack drones to overload air defense,” the air force noted.
The Starokostiantyniv Air Base is home to the UAF’s 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade, which mainly flies Soviet-made Su-24 fighter bombers. These fighter bombers are responsible for attacks with British-made Storm Shadow and French-made SCALP cruise missiles on Russian territory. The base was hit by the Russian military more than once in the past.
The Russian military stepped up strikes on Ukrainian air bases in recent weeks, destroying or damaging several warplanes of the UAF.
The strikes are likely meant to neutralize what is left of the UAF capabilities as well as to send a warning as Ukraine is preparing to receive American-made F-16 fighter jets from NATO.
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