On July 1, 2024, Russian missile strikes targeted the Myrhorod Air Base, located in Ukraine’s Poltava Oblast, appearing to destroy at least one Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet.
Russian Iskander strike on a Ukrainian airfield near Myrhorod. BDA appears to show a few destroyed and multiple damaged aircraft pic.twitter.com/gNljh42NdF
— Preston Stewart (@prestonstew_) July 1, 2024
The Targets
Footage taken by a Russian ISR drone showed at least five Su-27 fighters in dirt revetments in the base at the time of the strikes.
Notably, the drone footage shows painted silhouettes of Su-27s along the apron (blue square), a common deception tactic used in the conflict.
The Attack
Pro-Russian sources claimed that Iskander ballistic missiles were used in the strike, including ones equipped with cluster munitions. Footage shows impacts consistent with cluster munition deployment and heavy smoke rising from one of the revetments where an aircraft was parked (Geo: 49.9286, 33.6268).
While pro-Russian sources also claimed that multiple Su-27s were destroyed, it is unclear from the footage, although several other aircraft were likely damaged due to the cluster strikes.
Implications
A pressing concern from the strike is the ability of a Russian ISR drone to monitor the air base during the attacks. Myrhorod Air Base is located about 100 miles from the Russian border and 200 miles from the nearest frontline, indicating that Russian ISR assets were able to penetrate deep into Ukrainian airspace uncontested.
Iskander strike on a Ukrainian S-300 battery in the area of Myrnohrad. pic.twitter.com/L1MawfUiNZ
— ayden (@squatsons) June 12, 2024
On June 12, a Ukrainian S-300 SAM battery was destroyed by Russian strikes in the nearby village of Polyviane (Geo: 49.9531, 33.7834). The battery was likely providing coverage for the airbase, which was targeted by Russian missile strikes that same day, also recorded by a Russian drone.
Russian drones being able to move freely over the area will continue to pose a threat as they gather intelligence on the number and location of aircraft stationed at the site. Likewise, with the recent destruction of the S-300 system, Myrhorod Air Base likely still lacks the proper air defenses needed to counter further Russian strikes.