Not a “training airbase” at all: the media explained what planes were at the Khanskaya airfield

Not a “training airbase” at all: the media explained what planes were at the Khanskaya airfield Anzhelika Baibak

Khanskaya airfield in the Russian Republic of Adygea/Collage by Channel 24

The Defense Forces successfully hit the Khanskaya airfield in Adygea. Russian propagandists claim that there was supposedly a military training base there, but this is not true at all.

As Defence Express writes, the Russian airfield is located 400 kilometers from the front line. The occupiers remember the Khanskaya airbase as a training base with a military school, but fighter jets were based at the airfield.

Why Khanskaya is not a training airbase

On the night of October 10, the Defense Forces successfully attacked the Russian airbase “Khanskaya”. The successful attack is evidenced by spectacular videos and photos from the scene, as well as the NASA fire monitoring service.

Traditionally, the Russian authorities claim that allegedly nothing was damaged as a result of the attack, the explosions at the ammunition depot are hushed up, and officially they only report a fire. At the same time, the residents of the village of Rodnikovo, which is located next to the airfield, were evacuated for some reason.

Russian propaganda claims that “Khanskaya” is allegedly the 272nd training airbase, which is the airfield of the Krasnodar Aviation School. However, Defence Express journalists note that the airfield is a full-fledged military facility where Russian army combat aircraft are located.

Referring to satellite images from ESA, the media note that the sizes of the training aircraft do not match the aircraft that were actually at the Khanskaya base.

The sizes of Russian combat aircraft such as the Su-30, Su-34 and Su-35 differ greatly from the sizes of the L-39 trainers (wingspan 15 meters versus 9.5 meters). Moreover, most Russian fighters and frontline bombers have blue camouflage. And on the satellite image for October 6, 12 such aircraft were spotted at the airbase, which exactly corresponds to the standard number of the tactical aviation squadron, the journalists noted.

It is difficult to say exactly which aircraft are being discussed. However, the media assume that new and better satellite images will appear in the near future. They will allow us to assess the real scale of the defeat and the consequences of the attack by Ukrainian drones.