Airfield and oil depots hit: What is known about Defense Forces' latest strike on Russia
Photo: Defense forces attacked objects in Russia on August 3 (t.me mchs_official)
In the early hours of August 3, Ukraine's Defense Forces launched attacks on targets within Russian territory. The strikes hit an airfield and several oil depots.
Details on the aftermath of the attack are provided in the RBC-Ukraine report below.
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In the early hours of August 3, explosions were reported in several regions of Russia, with significant activity in the Rostov region. Russians reported a drone attack and shared footage of the ensuing fires.
Attack on the airfield
Russian Telegram channels initially reported an attack on the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region.
Ukraine’s General Staff later confirmed that the Defense Forces struck the Morozovsk airfield. The operation was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), and the Armed Forces. The strike targeted ammunition depots, including storage for guided aerial bombs. Footage of a large fire near the airfield has circulated online.
Russian authorities are reportedly trying to downplay the strike on the military facility, claiming that only warehouse buildings were burning.
This isn’t the first time Ukraine has targeted Russia’s Morozovsk airfield. In June 2024, the head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed that Ukrainian forces used at least 70 drones in an attack on the airfield.
Morozovsk was also attacked in December 2023 and again in April this year. The airfield is known to host Su-34 bombers.
Oil depots targeted
The General Staff of Ukraine confirmed that last night, oil depots and fuel storage facilities in the Belgorod, Kursk, and Rostov regions were also hit. This was corroborated by posts on Russian local social media channels.
Sources within Ukrainian intelligence told RBC-Ukraine that drones from the Defense Intelligence Agency (HUR) targeted a fuel storage facility at the Atlas reserve complex near the town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky in the Rostov region.
The facility supplies fuel for Russian military units stationed in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. According to the sources, the attack on the facility was carried out using 15 Obsidian drones from the Nayan project.
Russian media reported a significant fire at the Atlas complex, which has yet to be extinguished. A column of black smoke can be seen from several kilometers away.
Last night, the Gubkinskaya oil depot in the Belgorod region was also attacked. According to sources, drones from Ukraine's Security Service (SSU) hit the facility. Russian social media users reported a series of explosions and a subsequent fire.
Russian response
As usual, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have repelled the attack. According to their report, they intercepted and destroyed a total of 75 drones:
- 36 over the Rostov region
- 17 over the Oryol region
- 10 over the Belgorod region
- Eight over the Kursk region
- Two over the Ryazan region
- One each over the Voronezh region, the Sea of Azov, and the Krasnodar region.
