Storm Shadow Strikes Shahed Kamikaze Drone Maintenance Facility

28 December, 2024 The Shahed barrage munitions assembly facility in Russia.

2024. Photo credits: SolovievLive On December 26, Storm Shadow airborne cruise missiles hit the Shahed kamikaze drone maintenance facility in the Oryol region of Russia.

This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The attack on the protected facility of the Russian Armed Forces was carried out together with other components of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The struck facility was a warehouse for storage, maintenance and repair of Shahed kamikaze drones, which consisted of a number of concrete protected structures.

"This combat operation has significantly reduced the enemy's potential to conduct air raids by strike UAVs on the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine," the General Staff wrote in a statement. According to the data published by the Russian Telegram channel ASTRA, at least 3 Storm Shadow cruise missiles hit their intended target in the Oryol region. There are losses among the Russian military: 2 soldiers were killed and 7 others were wounded.

Around 15:40 on December 26, at least three missiles hit a military facility between the villages of Tsymbulova and Rudnevo in the Bolkhov district of the Oryol region. The satellite imagery taken on October 17, 2024, shows a facility about 3 kilometers long with individual buildings:

A Russian military facility in the Bolkhiv district of the Oryol region. Map: Copernicus Browser

Moreover, the facility itself was built in a short time, and in the photos dated August 18, 2024, the area is literally an open field.

The area in the Bolkhov district of the Oryol region before the construction of a military facility in August 2024.

Map: Copernicus Browser

As early as August 26, 2024, a large-scale excavation work was recorded on the site:

The area in the Bolkhov district of the Oryol region at the beginning of the construction of the military facility in August 2024.

Map: Copernicus Browser

This means that the strikes occurred during the commissioning and operation of the facility, or at the final stage of construction.

Accordingly, we can confirm the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that the Defense Forces have detailed information about the facilities of the Russian Armed Forces.