A fire broke out following a drone strike at the Marinovka Air Base in Russia’s Volgograd region. Marinovka is located 275 kilometers (170 miles) east of the Ukrainian border.
According to regional governor Andrei Bocharov, the Russian air defense forces managed to intercept and destroy most of the attacking drones during the night of August 22, 2024. However, at least one drone made it through the defenses, crashing and causing a fire on the airfield premises.
"It's still f*cking flying. "It's still f*cking around. They've completely destroyed it. The airfield is f*cked up. This is a serious tragedy, guys. This is very serious stuff…" – the situation at Marinovka military airfield in Russia's Volgograd region. https://t.co/03C3JzU9ys pic.twitter.com/2ivd9mwhyP
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 22, 2024
Satellite imagery from NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System, FIRMS, confirmed the presence of multiple fires at the airfield following the attack.
Images taken days before the attack show that approximately 30 tactical bombers were stationed at the base. The base is home to the 11th Composite Aviation Regiment, which operates the Sukhoi Su-24. Furthermore, some Sukhoi Su-34 aircraft had been moved from Morozovsk Air Base after drone attacks had damaged it.
🇷🇺Marinovka Air Base🇷🇺
— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) August 22, 2024
Here is a 'before' image from 19 August 2024
Loads of airframes on the flightline
14x Su-24
15x Su-34 (I think, @MilAviaUA confirm?)
What I find more interesting are the 8x semi trucks (~18m in length)
What are they carrying? Ammo resupply? Shaheds? https://t.co/Goltc2h2hK pic.twitter.com/1J8yY2XyuG
An airspace ban was enforced, causing the nearby Volgograd International Airport (VOG) to suspend all flights. A total of 11 flights were delayed. Operations resumed later in the day as the situation stabilized.
This incident at Marinovka was part of a larger coordinated effort by Ukraine, as several regions in western Russia were targeted. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the downing of 28 drones across multiple regions, including Rostov, Belgorod, Voronezh, Bryansk, and Kursk.
A day prior, another attack attributed to Ukraine saw Moscow experienced one of the largest drone attacks in recent history, according to the city’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin.