Imagery from Planet Labs and Airbus, reviewed by Reuters alongside assessments from military experts, shows the complex appeared between Aug. 31, when the site was an empty field, and mid-October. Its area is roughly equivalent to about 126 football pitches.
The facility sits about 3.5 kilometers from Millerovo airfield. The Ukrainian OSINT channel Absolutely Reliable said on Oct. 13 that between Sept. 1 and Oct. 13, eight launch positions and 32 sites for preparing drones for launch were built in the field in Turilovskoye rural settlement. The channel said an image dated Oct. 12 showed drones being unloaded.
Mike Monnik, founder and CEO of the private intelligence company DroneSec, said the site may be geared toward launching the Geran-4 and Geran-5, Russia's newest drones with jet engines. He estimated the base could potentially support the launch of about 100 or more jet drones in 24 hours. In Monnik's view, the speed of construction shows how quickly Russia can now deploy already-proven offensive capabilities.
Rob Jordan, program director at the London-based think tank RUSI, told Reuters that the concrete pads and two possible launch rails resemble launch installations for Gerans. He added that the scale of construction completed in such a short time indicates Russia is making a serious bet on deep-strike potential, possibly at the expense of its conventional ground forces.
The new base adds to an existing Russian network of at least 11 stationary launch sites for attacks on Ukraine, the agency writes. The construction is underway amid a rise in recent weeks in attacks by jet-powered strike drones capable of speeds up to 600 km/h. Ukrainian forces find it extremely difficult to intercept these high-speed craft. Ukraine is developing its own interceptor drones and upgrading detection and electronic warfare systems, but faces shortages of technology, munitions and financing.