"Very severe detonation": Captain of Ukrainian Navy Reserve explains importance of Dzhankoi airfield strike

Captain Andriy Ryzhenko, 1st Rank of the Ukrainian Navy Reserve, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Navy in 2004-2020, noted that the majority of attack and transport-combat helicopters used by Russia in the occupied territories are located at the airfield in Dzhankoi

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"The military airfield in Dzhankoi belongs to the 39th helicopter regiment of the 4th Air Force of Russia’s Southern Military District. Notably, it serves as a hub for a significant portion of the attack and transport-combat helicopters utilized by the adversary in the occupied territories, particularly in the southern regions of our country. There are 20 to 40 aircraft at this airfield. These are mostly Mi-8, Mi-28 and Ka-52 helicopters," explained Ryzhenko.

According to the captain of the Ukrainian Navy Reserve, the airfield in Dzhankoi is guarded by Pantsyr systems.

"In addition, there may be Su-25 attack aircraft there. Our military knew the exact number of aircraft. Dzhankoi is also known for having a railway station. There may be more S-400 systems there. If you look at this fire, the strike was on military equipment or an ammunition or fuel depot. This flame suggests that something very seriously detonated there," Ryzhenko emphasized.

• On the morning of Monday, April 15, locals reported explosions in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol. Russian forces deployed helicopters and Su-25 attack aircraft into the sky, while simultaneously blocking traffic on the Crimean bridge. The local "authorities" attributed these actions to military exercises.
• In the temporarily occupied Crimea, on the night of April 17, explosions occurred near the Dzhankoi military airfield.