Sevastopol Hit in Heaviest Drone Attack on Crimea This Year, Likely Targeting Key Military Airfield

In the early hours of May 2, a series of explosions rocked Russian-occupied Crimea, with blasts reported near the Simferopol airport, as well as in Sevastopol, Hvardiiske, and Yevpatoria.

Russian Telegram channels described the incident as a “massive combined attack,” noting that such intensity had not been seen in a long time. The air raid alert in Sevastopol was triggered around 12:40 a.m., following reports of incoming attack drones.

According to the Telegram channel Astra, the primary target may have been the Kacha military airfield. Other Russian sources reported explosions near the Saky airfield in Novofedorivka and claimed strikes on the location of a missile brigade.

Local social media accounts reported a large fire roughly seven kilometers from the airfield. The monitoring group Crimean Wind, citing satellite imagery, said the fire was located in the village of Uhlove and had grown significantly within two hours.

Residents also wrote in local chat groups that they heard explosions near the Inkerman winery, which is located approximately two kilometers from the Kacha airfield.

“There are two main theories about the fire in Uhlove: 1) Reed fields near the settling pond by the Inkerman winery are burning; 2) Barrels of alcohol are on fire at the winery—over 20 barrels stored outdoors. In any case, the Russian air defense made an effort,” one local channel wrote.

Astra also reported that a separate fire was observed in the area of the Bakhchysarai “Stroyindustriya” plant, one of the largest construction materials manufacturers in Crimea.

The Kacha airfield, on the northern outskirts of Sevastopol, is currently operated by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. It hosts An-26 transport aircraft, Be-12 amphibious planes, and Ka-27 helicopters, run by the 318th Mixed Aviation Regiment.

Around 4:00 a.m., occupation authorities closed traffic on the Crimean Bridge. The attack reportedly lasted until 5:00 a.m.

The occupying administration claims Ukraine used not only drones but also Neptune missiles. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it downed 121 drones over Crimea during the night.

Sevastopol’s Moscow-appointed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, stated that up to 10 drones were shot down and described the drone attack on Sevastopol as the most massive of the year.

Earlier, drones reportedly struck a secret Russian military base in the Stavropol region known as “Zvezda,” a key hub of Russia’s space-based signals intelligence operations, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation on May 2.

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