In addition to the first-in-history damage to a Su-57 “super fighter” at Akhtubinsk airport, the Ukrainians have taken another major step forward in their war against the invader. According to what was reported by Sky Newswho cited a Ukrainian military source, a Kiev jet would have hit a target within the Federation for the first time.
“A Ukrainian Air Force mission hit a command node Russian in Belgorod. Although damage assessment is still ongoing, it is confirmed that it was a direct hit”, the source said to Sky News, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s about the first ammunition of the Ukrainian Armed Forces directed by air against a target inside Russia”. The target would therefore be a command post, although according to some videos that emerged on social media the presence of a secondary explosion after the attack could suggest an ammunition depot. It is not yet clear whether Western weapons were used in the raid, but in recent weeks British Foreign Minister David Cameron had stated that it is up to Kiev to decide how to use Western weapons, such as missiles. Storm Shadow which can be mounted on Ukrainian jets.
On Saturday, June 8, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down a drone again in the Belgorod region, part of a flotilla of three unmanned aircraft that would still have managed to damage the local electricity grid. It is unclear whether this attack and the fighter raid were part of the same operation or whether they occurred at different times. In any case, the Ukrainian success is further demonstration of the fact that, after more than two years of conflict, the ability to air defense of Russia has significantly weakened.
This may be due to the fact that the Moscow army has begun to convert some of its systems S-300 and S-400 closer to the front to carry out attacks against the invaded country, thus focusing the war effort on offense. A decision, this, probably taken in light of Kiev’s limited air actions beyond the front lines and directed towards strategic structures hundreds of kilometers away from the fighting areas. There is also the possibility that, given the restrictions imposed until recently on Ukraine on the use of Western weapons to strike the territory of the Federation, the Russian command considered the border regions “safe” and had therefore relaxed their defenses .
The fact that many countries Born having removed these limitations has, however, changed the cards on the table, opening up the possibility for Kiev’s forces to hammer Moscow’s rear even a few kilometers from the battlefield.
