The attack on the airfield forced the Russians to withdraw land forces deeper into their territory

According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russian sorties will therefore last longer, which will require more fuel and put more strain on the crews. In addition, British intelligence said that the Ukrainians were already able to strike much deeper into Russian territory than the new bases where the Russian pilots took refuge with their machines.

The Kushchevskaya airport was originally home to mainly fighter-bombers, including the Sukhoi Su-34 and Sukhoi Su-35S. The airport was targeted by a drone attack on the night of April 26-27.

According to preliminary reports, the attack destroyed a warehouse of universal modular planning kits, which the Russians use to convert conventional bombs into guided ones.

Russian fighters usually have 100 to 150 sorties per day. The vast majority of them fire ammunition along the entire front line. Similar successful attacks, such as the one on the Kushchevskaya base, will disrupt the rhythm of flights and force the Russians to redistribute air defense assets in addition to aircraft, according to the Ukrainska pravda newspaper, the British said.