At least one Russian warplane and ammunition storage facilities were destroyed in a Ukrainian strike on a Russian military base in the Rostov region, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) said on August 5.
"Space intelligence data show that a Su-34 fighter-bomber was destroyed as a result of fire damage to the military airfield at Morozovsk on August 3," HUR said in a statement on Telegram, adding that satellite imagery show two more Su-34 aircraft were likely damaged in the explosion of the aircraft ammunition storage facility.
"Large areas of burnt ground can be seen in the satellite images," the message says.
The Morozovsk air base is located some 265 kilometers east of the front line.
Russia did not comment on HUR's claim, which comes after the General Staff of Ukraine's military said on August 3 that it had struck the Morozovsk airfield and oil depots in the Rostov region, without giving details.
This is the second time Ukraine has claimed to have struck Morozovsk. On April 5, Ukrainian sources told RFE/RL that at least six Russian military aircraft had been destroyed in a massive Ukrainian drone attack on the Morozovsk airfield, where Su-24, Su-24M, and Su-34 bombers had been reportedly stationed at the time.
That claim could not be independently confirmed.
The Ukrainian Air Force, meanwhile, reported that its air-defense systems shot down all 24 drones launched by Russia early on August 5 at seven Ukrainian regions -- Kyiv, Vinnytsya, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, and Dnipropetrovsk.
In the northeastern Kharkiv region, infrastructure was damaged by falling debris, Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram.
On August 4, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy officially confirmed the arrival of the long-awaited F-16 fighter jets he has said are crucial to the defense of his country against invading Russian forces.
"Now this is really a reality, a reality in our skies, F-16s in Ukraine," Zelenskiy said during ceremonies marking Air Force of Armed Forces Day in Ukraine, standing on the tarmac in front of the U.S.-made warplanes marked with Ukrainian symbols.
Zelenskiy did not specify how many F-16s were currently in Ukraine but said the air force "has already begun to use them for our country."
