An explosion at a Russian base knocked out more than half of the Black Sea Fleet’s fighters, crippling its combat capabilities, Western officials and intelligence agencies say.

• A recent explosion at a Russian base in occupied Crimea damaged multiple fighter jets.

• More than half of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet fighters have been knocked out, Western intelligence and officials said.

• Ukraine did not immediately claim public responsibility for the apparent attack, but celebrated it.

The recent explosion, widely believed to be a Ukrainian attack on a Russian base in occupied Crimea, knocked out more than half of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet fighters, Western officials have said. revealed to the media Friday.

Multiple explosions on August 9 at Saki Air Base, well behind the eastern and southern Ukraine front lines, caused extensive damage. destruction Some Russian fighters and buildings.

according to many report Western officials said on Friday the damage sidelined more than half of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet’s naval air jets, severely hampering the combat capabilities of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces in the region, according to Reuters and others. Stated.

An unspecified number of Russians included in the damage Su-24 and Su-30 jets, has been used by the country’s air force for decades. There were conflicting reports as to exactly how many aircraft were destroyed. satellite image Last week’s data showed as many as 13 jets damaged and destroyed.

The British Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update last week that the lost jets represent only a small fraction of the total Russian aircraft inventory available to support the war effort in Ukraine. had a tremendous impact.

‘The fleet’s naval air capabilities are now severely degraded,’ says British intelligence Said Late last week. “This incident is likely to prompt the Russian military to revise its threat perception. Crimea has probably been seen as a safe rear area.”

Ukrainian intelligence agency report After Russia placed many other Crimean aircraft deep in the peninsula and moved them to bases within Russian territory.

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Last week’s apparent attack on Saki Air Base marked first In the occupied Crimea peninsula since Russian forces illegally annexed it in 2014.

Ukraine did not immediately claim public responsibility for the explosion at the base, but its air force celebrated On social media, officials privately acknowledged That it was behind the explosion. Some reports suggest a ranged attack, while others implicated Ukrainian special forces. But Russia has tried to downplay the damage, blaming it for an accidental detonation of ammunition.

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