Donetsk "Yeysk": why a strike on the "Shakhediv" base can stop Russian attacks for a long time

Special operations forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out a pinpoint strike on the Shahed kamikaze drone storage and launch base on the territory of the former international airport in occupied Donetsk. According to the SSO of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the effectiveness of the attack reached more than 90%: most of the released drones hit the targets.

As reported by the SSO, the operation was carried out on the evening of November 5 together with units of the Security Service of Ukraine and missile forces and artillery. The enemy has equipped the infrastructure for equipping and launching Iranian UAVs precisely on the territory of the destroyed airport - a strategic object that served as a logistical hub for attacks on peaceful cities of Ukraine. The impact caused a powerful explosion followed by the detonation of the ammunition.

The moment of destruction was captured on numerous eyewitness videos published on social networks.   Such point strikes are part of the systematic work of the SSO to disrupt the enemy's logistics in the occupied territories. The destruction of Shahed warehouses weakens the Russian Federation's ability to carry out massive attacks on the energy and civil infrastructure of Ukraine, reducing the threat to the civilian population.

According to Anton Zemlany, a senior analyst at the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, official data on enemy losses have not been made public, but the force of the explosion recorded by eyewitnesses indicates the possible destruction of hundreds of UAVs.

According to the "Spy Dossier" channel, up to 1,000 Geran-2 drones or the Russian modification "Shahed", more than 1,500 combat units, a fuel warehouse, a pre-launch training point and power supply nodes have been accumulated on the territory of the former airport. The strike likely disabled the site for a long time, similar to the Yeisk base destroyed by Neptune missiles in 2024. After that, the object did not appear in launch reports for almost a year, except for the attack on May 24, 2025.

According to Zemlany, the Donetsk site is relatively new. "It was created only this year. As early as August, preparatory work continued there. In fact, the Defense Forces were waiting for the construction of the site to be completed and drones to accumulate on it," the expert notes. Zemlyanyi, relying on researchers, claims that the site in Donetsk was supposed to be used for the launch of "Shakheds", in particular, "Gerber" jet drones with remote control.

Obviously, these drones were primarily supposed to operate in the Donetsk region, attacking forward control points and logistics hubs in the frontline regions. Therefore, the destruction of this target means strengthening the security of the Ukrainian rear against Russian drones. The number of Shaheds potentially destroyed is a quarter of the monthly number that Russia normally uses.

We will probably see the consequences and effectiveness of this defeat already in the coming weeks - in the formations of the Air Force and "osinters", due to the decrease in the number of drones used. If, of course, the Russians do not replace the destroyed UAVs with those stored in their reserve. Zemlyanyi reminded that the attack on Donetsk is similar to what happened to the playground in Yeysk. Last year, two Neptune missiles hit and destroyed a drone storage facility.

Drones were supplied to the facility from a warehouse in the village of Oktyabrskyi, 35 km from the launchers — this warehouse was also destroyed by rockets. From October 10, 2024, Yeisk disappeared from the reports of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a place for launching drones. In almost a year, the Russians used it only once — during a massive attack on May 24, 2025. A similar fate may befall this Russian drone launch site. We will remind that more than 3.

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