Ukraine Strikes Russian Drone Airfields in Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Donetsk

These operations are part of Ukraine's broader strategy of deep-strike operations against military and industrial targets within Russia and Russian-occupied territories. Ukrainian forces have been increasingly employing domestically produced long-range drones to attack targets such as oil refineries and weapons facilities.

Primorsko-Akhtarsk, situated in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, is strategically located approximately 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast across the Sea of Azov. Its airfields have been used as launch sites for Russian drone attacks since 2022.

Russian forces also utilize drone launch sites within Ukrainian territories occupied since 2014, including Donetsk. Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces have indicated that Donetsk International Airport has been equipped with drone launchers for training and launching drones like the Shahed, Geran, and Gerbera. Satellite imagery from August 2025 reportedly showed runway repairs that could facilitate expanded drone operations from this occupied territory.

The strikes come amid an intensification of Russian drone and ballistic missile attacks against Ukrainian cities, coinciding with Ukraine's reported air defense shortages. Russia launched a significant attack on Kyiv and its surrounding region on August 20, which resulted in casualties.