The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the target was the Akhtubinsk military airfield, home to the 929th Chkalov State Flight Test Center of the Russian Defense Ministry. According to the General Staff, the facility is used to "test the newest aircraft and missiles" and also hosts Su-34s.
Mayor Alexander Sivakov said a red threat level was declared overnight in Akhtubinsk, in the Astrakhan region, because of the drone attack. Residents reported sirens, explosions, bursts of automatic gunfire and bright flashes in the sky from air defense operations.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the strike hit a warehouse holding kits for guided aviation missiles, setting off a large secondary detonation of munitions. Drones also hit a PRV-13 mobile radio altimeter, the General Staff said.
The monitoring channel Exilenova+ counted at least 30 explosions near the airfield. The channel Supernova+ reported a fire. There is no independent confirmation of hits on the airfield.
Regional Governor Igor Babushkin said more than 30 drones were shot down in the northern part of the region. He said no damage to city infrastructure was found. Sivakov also said there were no casualties.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting and destroying 533 Ukrainian drones overnight. The Astrakhan region was among the regions where drones were shot down, according to the ministry.
The Akhtubinsk airfield has been attacked before. On August 20, Ukrainian forces struck it, and the next day the Ukrainian General Staff reported damage to a Su-34 and a fuel spill. On October 29, a Su-57 burned at the same airfield: the Ukrainian project "Absolutno Nadiyne Dzherelo" found traces of fire in satellite images, and Ukrainian military intelligence reported an explosion during engine startup. British military intelligence called a technical malfunction the likely cause.
About 20 km from Akhtubinsk is Groshevo, the largest aviation range in Russia. According to the General Staff, another Ukrainian target that night was the Tsymbulova drone port in the Oryol region, from which strike drones are launched.
Accounts differ: the Ukrainian General Staff reported destroying a missile warehouse and a radio altimeter at the airfield, while Russian authorities reported only downed drones and no damage to civilian infrastructure, without mentioning the airfield's condition. There is no independent confirmation of the strike on the airfield.