Ukrainian forces targeted Russian airbases and a fiber optics factory, leading to the closure of airports in the European part of Russia for nearly five hours.
Authorities in Saransk, Tula, and Moscow reported the attacks this morning, marking the third consecutive night of assaults on the capital. Social media also indicated that drone strikes occurred at the Shaykovka air base in the Kaluga region, where a fire at the airfield was captured by NASA's satellite fire monitoring system, as well as at Kubinka near Moscow.
The second military airfield is part of the Russian Armed Forces' "Patriot" military park. This airfield hosts the Strizhi and Russkiye Vityazi aerobatic teams, both of which participate annually in the Victory Day air parade (anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe).
,,- As I expected, the “khokhly” [eng. “sheaves”, a pejorative Russian term for the Ukrainians - belsat.eu] are trying to spoil the parade for us and are hitting the dislocation sites of the forces and resources participating in the parade," wrote the author of the Fighterbomber channel dedicated to Russian aviation.
The overnight raid paralyzed airports in the European part of Russia, including Moscow, Kazan, and Sochi, for an entire day. The attack, which lasted five hours, resulted in the halting of all takeoffs and landings in the affected regions, with aircraft already in the air being diverted to alternate airports.
At Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, 80 flights were halted and 38 were canceled; Sheremetyevo Airport suspended 52 takeoffs and 70 landings, while Vnukovo Airport halted 27 flights.
The extended interruption had a significant impact throughout the day. According to the Mash channel, some passengers waited as long as 12 hours for their flights, sleeping on the stairs and floors of airport terminals. Russian media reports suggest that the night raid affected the travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers.
Ukrainian forces have reportedly launched attacks on the Tula region, as indicated by Governor Dmitry Milayev. He stated that anti-aircraft defenses successfully repelled six waves of drones, although he did not specify if there was any damage in the region. According to Ukraine's OSINT channel, Supernova+, the Splav plant - known for producing BM-21 Grad and BM-30 Smerch missile systems - was hit during these attacks.
Additionally, targets in Mordovia were bombed, prompting local authorities to cancel classes in schools and prohibit the release of information regarding the aftermath of the drone strikes. Social media reports indicate that the Saranskkabel’ or Saranskkabel’ Optika plant was also attacked. This facility is the only fiber optics manufacturer in Russia, providing crucial supplies to the military. FPV drones that utilize these fiber optics are resistant to radio signal interference, which enhances their effectiveness as a combat tool.
,,- In the Russian city of Saransk, a parade at a fiber optics factory began earlier than planned, the Operational Armed Forces of Ukraine channel commented on Telegram.
Mobile internet services were disabled in more than 30 cities across Russia during the attacks. This disruption affected all of Mordovia and several cities in the Moscow, Kaluga, Leningrad, and Kursk regions.
Simultaneously, Russia launched drone and ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities overnight, resulting in civilian casualties in Kyiv.
There are speculations online suggesting that a recent Ukrainian air attack successfully relocated multiple anti-aircraft missile systems to defend Moscow, where a parade is scheduled for May 9 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of the Third Reich. This action by Ukrainian forces may also be a response to introducing a new anti-aircraft defense system, in anticipation of a stronger offensive.
Viktor Volkov / vot-tak.tv, p / belsat.eu
