One week into Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, the conflict has seen a sharp increase in aerial and drone attacks from both sides. The Russian air force has redirected a substantial portion of its firepower to counter the Ukrainian invasion corps, dropping up to 50 KAB glide bombs daily on Ukrainian positions in Sumy Oblast, just across the border from Kursk. This represents nearly half of the glide bombs typically used across the entire 700-mile front line of the conflict.
Despite facing a stronger adversary, Ukraine has launched its own aerial offensive. In one of the most extensive drone operations of the war, Ukrainian forces targeted four Russian military airfields overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the attacks as “timely” and “accurate.” The strikes focused on air bases in Voronezh, Kursk, Savasleyka, and Borisoglebsk, aiming to degrade Russia’s ability to launch gliding bomb attacks on Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine’s air force has also been active, reportedly deploying American-made Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) glide bombs to strike Russian targets, including a command post in Tetkino, Kursk. This mission was conducted by an older Su-27 aircraft. While Ukraine possesses some modern Western aircraft, such as the F-16, these appear to be reserved for air-defense roles rather than risky ground attacks.
The first footage of Ukrainian Air Force airstrikes in support of the Kursk offensive has emerged.
Seen here, a Ukrainian fighter drops a pair of US-supplied JDAM-ERs on Russian positions in Tetkino, conducting an effective tactical strike into Russia. pic.twitter.com/qLQrbVypRq
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 13, 2024
Russia has responded with force. Russian officials claim their air defenses intercepted a large number of Ukrainian drones and missiles, particularly over Kursk and other regions. However, social media reports suggest Ukrainian drones managed to strike key targets, including the Baltimore military airfield in Voronezh, which hosts aircraft capable of carrying hypersonic missiles.
⚡️At night, there was also an attack in the vicinity of the Baltimore airfield (🇷🇺Voronezh region). Russian Su-34 fighter bombers are based there. pic.twitter.com/qY2TCpzoUu
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) August 14, 2024
Despite having fewer aircraft and munitions, Ukrainian forces have kept up the pressure on Russian positions.
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