Unusual airfield: All about Lipetsk air base attacked by Ukraine
Ukraine attacks the Lipetsk-2 airfield in Russia (Russian media)
Ukraine launched an attack on the Russian military airfield Lipetsk-2 overnight on August 9. This airfield is not a standard one, it is a crucial asset for Kremlin forces.
Find out more about the Lipetsk-2 airbase in the RBC-Ukraine report below.
Contents:
Location of airfield
The Lipetsk-2 or Lipetsk-West aviation base is located near the Russian city of Lipetsk.
The distance from the airfield to Lipetsk is about 12 kilometers, and to the Ukrainian border, it is approximately 400 kilometers.
The airbase is home to Russia's 4th State Aviation Personnel Training and Field Testing Center for the Aerospace Forces. The base has two interconnected medium-sized runways.
Why Lipetsk is important to Russia
The aviation base near Lipetsk was established in the 1920s as a German flight school and testing ground. In 1934, the base was converted into an advanced flight-tactical school, and after World War II, it was re-equipped with jet aircraft, and a new training aviation regiment was added.
Lipetsk-2 is not a standard military airfield. It is one of Russia's largest training centers. Pilots, including those flying the Su-57 fighter, which Russia touts as its most advanced fifth-generation aircraft, trained there.
In April 2023, Su-57s were spotted in satellite images at the Lipetsk airfield.
Photo: Su-57 at the Lipetsk airfield in April 2023 (defence-ua.com)
The airbase hosts the 968th Experimental-Instructor Mixed Aviation Regiment. However, since the beginning of the full-scale war, other Russian military units have also used the airfield.
The airbase is also home to Su-30, Su-34, Su-35, and MiG-31 aircraft. Some of them are combat aircraft, while others are used for training.
Details and consequences of attack
On the night of August 9, Russians reported a drone attack on the Lipetsk airfield. Explosions were heard, followed by a fire and subsequent detonations.
RBC-Ukraine sources confirmed that Ukrainian forces attacked the Lipetsk-2 airfield on the night of August 9. The operation was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Special Operations Forces.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that the attack damaged warehouses storing over 700 guided aviation bombs, as well as several other important facilities in the area of the airfield.
The strike caused a fire across a significant portion of the airfield, with the explosion triggering a chain reaction of detonations. According to sources in the special services, most of the aircraft at Lipetsk-2 did not manage to take off before the strike.
Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that a fire broke out at the military airfield overnight but did not specify the cause. Local authorities declared a state of emergency in the region and announced the evacuation of four nearby settlements.
Sources: Wikipedia, Defence Express, Telegram channel Astra, press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
