Presumed Ukrainian Air Hub Targeted as Russia Fires 322 Drones in Overnight Assault

Russia launched 322 drones at Ukraine overnight, with the main wave of attacks targeting the city of Starokostiantyniv in western Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine’s military said Saturday, July 5.

The Air Force reported that Russian forces used both strike drones and decoy drones launched from six directions, including Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and Shatalovo inside Russian territory.

Ukraine’s air defenses, including fighter jets, anti-aircraft missile units, mobile fire teams, drone units, and electronic warfare systems, responded to the assault.

The military said air defense units neutralized 292 drones – 157 were shot down, and 135 were jammed or lost due to electronic warfare.

The main target of the assault was Starokostiantyniv, an important military hub in the Khmelnytskyi region. Many of the Iranian-made Shahed drones appeared to bypass Kyiv and head west, toward Khmelnytskyi.

Starokostiantyniv is home to a major Ukrainian air base, which has been central to the country’s air operations throughout the war. Russian military analysts have long identified the airfield as a key site for Ukraine’s fleet of US-made F-16 fighter jets.

The base previously hosted Ukraine’s 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade, operating aircraft such as Su-24M bombers.

In September 2023, Ukrainian Su-24s launched from Starokostiantyniv reportedly carried out strikes using British Storm Shadow and French SCALP missiles, destroying a Russian navy assault ship, a missile submarine, and damaging the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in occupied Sevastopol.

Other Topics of Interest

Ukraine Hits Russian Warplanes in Hangars at Crimea’s Saky Air Base

Ukraine’s SBU said it hit fighter aircraft stored in unprotected hangars at Crimean military airbase as part of 40-day “influence operation” campaign.

The Air Force reported drone impacts in four locations and debris falling in six different areas.

Serhiy Tyurin, head of the Khmelnytskyi regional administration, said 42 drones were downed over the region during the attack. He added that debris locations are still being identified, and no casualties or significant damage have been reported so far.

Meanwhile, Russian drones also hit the city of Chuhuiv in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region overnight. The number of people injured in that attack has risen to 11, including two children, officials said.

Ukraine’s emergency services reported that enemy drones struck several civilian buildings, including a postal office and other structures. Some of the buildings hit were no longer in use, officials added.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it intercepted dozens of Ukrainian drones over Russian regions during the same period, including over Voronezh, Saratov, and Chuvashia, but those reports could not be independently confirmed.