HUR and SBU Drone Strike Targets Airfield in Southern Russia, Reportedly Destroys Multiple Aircraft

Kyiv Post's sources in special services have confirmed that early in the morning on Thursday, Oct. 10, dozens of Ukrainian combat UAVs targeted the Russian Khanskaya military airfield near Maykop, Adygea in a joint operation by Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Khanskaya Airfield houses the 272nd Polotsk Aviation Training Base, part of the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School. This facility has been used by Russian forces to refuel aircraft and launch missile and bomb attacks on Ukrainian Defense Forces and civilian settlements.

At the time of the attack, several Russian combat aircraft and helicopters were stationed at the airfield, including:

• 12 Su-34 fighter-bombers
• 2 Diamond DA42 reconnaissance aircraft
• 37 L-39 training jets
• 4 Su-35S fighter jets
• 2 Mi-8 helicopters

Following the explosions, numerous ambulances and fire trucks were dispatched to the scene as rescue operations began.

A source from Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) emphasized that this operation is part of a broader effort to dismantle Russia’s military potential.

"We are expanding our ability to strike deep into enemy territory, and Russian military facilities are increasingly coming under attack from Ukrainian-made UAVs. This is only the beginning," the source said.

Explosions and fire near the airfield were widely reported by local residents and Russian Telegram channels. Adygea’s head, Murat Kumpilov, confirmed a drone attack on the “outskirts of Maykop” but did not specifically mention the Khanskaya military airfield. 

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Residents from the nearby village of Rodnikovy were evacuated to Khanskaya, though the exact number of evacuees remains undisclosed. No casualties were reported.

The Astra Telegram channel corroborated the drone strike, indicating that the fire occurred near the airfield, according to NASA fire monitoring data.

Ukrainian OSINT channel Oko Gora reported that a fuel and lubricants warehouse might have caught fire near the airfield’s runway following the UAV attack. 

Another OSINT researcher, MT Anderson, added that the area could store airplane fuel tanks or even a bomb warehouse.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported the interception of 92 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 47 shot down over the Krasnodar Territory, which surrounds Adygea. Other regions, including Kursk, Rostov, Bryansk, and Crimea, were also targeted, though no injuries were reported.

Several hours before this attack, late on Wednesday, October 9, Ukraine’s ongoing drone offensive against Russian military infrastructure achieved its third success in three days. The Armed Forces of Ukraine targeted a Shahed drone storage facility in Yeysk, located in the Krasnodar region, as part of their intensified long-range drone strikes.

Eyewitness reports suggest significant damage, but the Russian Defense Ministry or regional authorities have provided no official confirmation.