Russia converts Donetsk, Kerch airports into Shahed drone launch sites — aviation expert

Aviation expert Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, Deputy General Director of the electronic warfare equipment manufacturing company, stated this on Espreso TV.

“Russia has long planned to conduct numerous launches in a single massive strike. The Russians are training and testing their operations, including launching attack drones 24/7. They are constantly working, transporting, and deploying new drones,” Khrapchynskyi said.

The aviation expert added that the Russians are currently limited by the number of launch sites, restricting the daily number of drone launches.

“Yesterday we saw both daytime and nighttime attacks. The Russians used missiles and drones. This combined attack aimed to complicate our air defense operations. Currently, the number of launch sites allows Russia to deploy 300 to 500 drones using existing airfields. The Russians are also expanding the Donetsk and Kerch airfields to increase launch capacity. This is how they aim to boost the number of launches, as they are currently limited in resources, particularly in launching large numbers of Shahed drones simultaneously,” he added.

• Ukrainian air defenders shot down 430 drones and 21 missiles used by Russia in the combined attack on Ukraine during the night of September 3.