Ukraine Hits Russian Shahed Launchers Before Takeoff at Donetsk Airport

Ukrainian drone units struck Russian mobile launch platforms used for Shahed-type drones at the Donetsk airport, targeting the systems during launch preparations on April 5.

According to Ukraine’s 1st Separate Center of Unmanned Systems, the operation was carried out using FP-2 strike drones developed by the Ukrainian company Fire Point. The unit reported that the drones penetrated the airport area and hit mobile launch vehicles positioned on or near the runway.

Additional details were reported by Dnipro Osint analysts, who stated that the targeted vehicles were already deployed for launch at the time of the strike. The same source indicated that Russian personnel attempted to engage the incoming drones with small arms fire, but failed to intercept them.

The 1st Separate Center of Unmanned Systems reported that two vehicles associated with Shahed and Gerbera drone operations were destroyed. One of the vehicles was equipped with a Shahed drone at the time of impact. Coordinates of the strike locations were also published by Dnipro Osint.

Russian forces have been using the Donetsk airport as a base for storing, preparing, and launching Shahed-type drones for an extended period. Ukrainian forces have previously targeted warehouses and staging areas at the site.

Earlier, on March 7, Ukrainian forces carried out a high-precision strike on a Russian Shahed drone base at Donetsk International Airport using US-provided ATACMS ballistic missiles and French-British SCALP cruise missiles. The attack targeted a facility used for storing, preparing, and launching drones, triggering a large fire and secondary detonations at the site.

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