Russia constructs new drone shelters at Crimean airbase

Russian forces are constructing new storage facilities for strike drones at the Hvardiiske airbase in occupied Crimea. The expansion includes more than 20 small shelters protected by earthen embankments, according to satellite images analyzed by OSINT analyst Dnipro Osint.

The imagery shows roughly 40 smaller structures being built nearby. Osint described these as garages intended for storing, servicing, and preparing drones for launch. He noted that the new construction indicates Russian forces are continuing to build up drone infrastructure at the base despite recent attacks.

The airbase has faced repeated Ukrainian strikes in the last few months. On July 3, the Security Service of Ukraine reported that two hangars holding Shahed drones and aviation equipment had been hit. Satellite images released on August 10 subsequently revealed damage to hangars used for Geran-type drones.

Further strikes followed in late summer. On August 17, Ukrainian forces hit a similar facility. Then on September 1, Ukraine's General Staff reported a strike on a site in Hvardiiske used for the storage and launch of strike drones. Osint assessed that the effects of these earlier attacks remain visible on the base.

The analyst identified damage to at least one hangar, which he attributed to a strike by an unmanned aerial vehicle. He also pointed to a key feature of operations at Hvardiiske: mobile launch platforms are used instead of stationary launchers. Osint wrote that drones are loaded onto specially equipped vehicles and then launched from the runway.