Russia Accelerates Construction of Aircraft Bunkers at 14 Military Airfields Following Devastating Ukrainian Drone Attacks
Russia has launched an expansive campaign to construct fortified aircraft shelters at 14 military airfields, a move widely seen as a defensive response to a string of successful Ukrainian drone operations that inflicted unprecedented damage on Moscow’s strategic aviation fleet.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to Radio Liberty, citing intelligence reports.
According to open-source intelligence analyst Def Mon, satellite imagery confirms ongoing construction of reinforced bunkers at airfields in both occupied Crimea and mainland Russia.
Among the Crimean sites are Kirovske, Sevastopol, Hvardiiske, and Saky – all key locations used by the Russian Air Force.
On Russian territory, similar fortification efforts are visible at airbases in Yeysk, Krymsk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Khanskaya (Adygea), Millerovo, Akhtubinsk, Borisoglebsk, Kursk, Lipetsk, and the Engels airbase.
Def Mon notes that the construction campaign began quietly in late 2024 but accelerated sharply following Ukraine’s large-scale drone attacks this month.
“These facilities are not just shelters. They’re signs of panic in the face of growing Ukrainian reach and precision,” said a Ukrainian military official, speaking anonymously.
The immediate catalyst appears to be Ukraine’s daring June 1 drone operation, code-named “Spiderweb,” orchestrated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the operation resulted in the damage or destruction of at least 41 aircraft, including Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 bombers, Tu-160s, and A-50 airborne early warning aircraft.
The scale and accuracy of Ukraine’s strikes, conducted hundreds of kilometers inside Russian territory, have sent shockwaves through Moscow’s military establishment.
This urgency to shield critical air assets also highlights the limitations of Russia’s air defense systems against low-flying, hard-to-detect drones as previous defensive measures, such as installing heat-resistant curtains in hangars, now appear insufficient.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Russia may need years to replace long-range bombers destroyed or damaged in a series of Ukrainian drone strikes at the beginning of June.