Ukraine Hits Akhtubinsk Airfield and Tsymbulova Drone Base in Russia

Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Akhtubinsk military airfield in Russia’s southern Astrakhan region and the Tsymbulova strike drone launch base in the Oryol region overnight into Sunday, Nov. 15. According to an official statement published by the General Staff, Ukrainian units hit two key sites from which Russian forces launch combat aircraft and long-range strike drones against Ukrainian territory.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Located approximately 650 kilometers (404 miles) from the front line, the Akhtubinsk airfield houses the 929th State Flight Test Center of the Russian Ministry of Defense – one of Russia’s primary facilities for testing and evaluating advanced military aircraft, experimental aviation systems, and airborne weapons before deployment to the war in Ukraine. Russian forces also actively use Akhtubinsk as an operational base for Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bombers that drop guided aerial bombs (KABs) on Ukrainian cities and frontline positions. Following the strike on the airbase, Ukrainian military authorities recorded powerful secondary detonations at a storage depot housing kits for air-launched guided missiles. Additionally, Ukrainian forces struck a mobile PRV-13 radio height-finder radar at the airfield, a critical radar system used to measure aircraft flight altitudes and determine target coordinates. What was targeted at the Tsymbulova drone base in Oryol region? Closer to the Ukrainian border, Ukrainian forces struck a storage, preparation, and launch site for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) near the settlement of Tsymbulova in Russia’s Oryol region – referred to by military officials as the “Tsymbulova” droneport. Other Topics of Interest Drones struck the Akhtubinsk military airfield in Russia’s Astrakhan region overnight, triggering at least 30 explosions and ammunition detonations. The General Staff noted that Russian troops regularly launch strike drones from the Tsymbulova facility against Ukrainian cities, electrical grids, and civilian infrastructure, emphasizing that disabling such launch hubs directly reduces the scale of nighttime aerial attacks. “Work against the enemy’s key military facilities will continue until Russia completely ceases its armed aggression against Ukraine,” the General Staff stated. The official confirmation from the General Staff builds upon open-source intelligence (OSINT) reports earlier on Sunday from the monitoring channel Exilenova+, which published video footage showing a fire and bright flashes at the Akhtubinsk airbase following at least 30 explosions overnight, while Astrakhan Governor Igor Babushkin claimed air defenses downed 31 drones in the northern part of the region. The airfield and droneport strikes coincided with a broader wave of Ukrainian precision operations overnight into Nov. 15, during which the General Staff also confirmed hits on the Nizhnekamskneftekhim synthetic rubber complex and the TAIF-NK oil refinery in Tatarstan, as well as the Monolit aircraft and helicopter component plant in Russia’s Bryansk region. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.