Partisans expose key Russian air defense positions at Crimean airfield
Photo: Atesh partisans revealed key Russian air defense positions at the airfield in Crimea (Getty Images)
Ukrainian partisans from the Atesh movement conducted reconnaissance on the territory of the Kacha airfield in occupied Crimea and identified key Russian military facilities, according to the Atesh Telegram channel.
As the statement says, important radar systems are deployed on the airfield, including the Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile system, the Podlet radar station, and the P-18-2 radar station.
The Kacha airfield is a key hub of the Russian Aerospace Forces in occupied Crimea. It hosts the Strike Aviation Regiment 318, command posts, logistics, and radar complexes. These systems cover the southwestern part of the peninsula and coordinate airstrikes against Ukraine.
The partisans reminded that the airfield has already been hit several times in recent months - in May, July, and on the night of July 23-24. Explosions and damage were recorded in the Kacha and Orlovka areas as a result of these attacks.
"This is not the end - new strikes on Kacha airfield are only a matter of time. The information we gathered has been passed to the Defense Forces of Ukraine," the statement says.
Pantsir-S1
This is a Russian self-propelled surface-to-air missile and gun system. It is used for close-in defense of objects against air attacks. It can protect targets from ground and surface threats.
The Pantsir-S1 was created in 1994 and later modernized. By the end of 2012, it was adopted by the Russian army.
Podlet radar station
This is a relatively new Russian radar station. The Russian army began equipping it in 2015. The cost of the system exceeds 700 million rubles or more than 5 million US dollars.
The enemy used this system to detect and relay target coordinates to Russian S-300/S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.
P-18-2 radar station
This is a Russian mobile two-coordinate meter-band radar station, a modernization of the P-18 radar.
It is designed to detect and track aerial objects, determine their coordinates and nationality, and can operate under active electronic interference.
Drone attack on Crimea
On the night of May 2, the temporarily occupied Crimea was heavily attacked by strike drones. Explosions were heard near military airfields, air defense systems were actively engaged, and fires were recorded.
Powerful explosions and bursts of gunfire were heard near Simferopol airport, as well as near the military airfields Kacha and Belbek in Sevastopol, in Saky, Novofedorivka, and Dzhankoi.
On the evening of July 23, explosions also sounded in temporarily occupied Crimea.
The so-called governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, confirmed the attack. According to him, air defense reportedly destroyed six drones, three of them near the Kacha airfield.
