Ukraine Hits Secret Underground Russian Military Hub Near Occupied Crimea

Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out a coordinated overnight strike on a Russian underground logistics facility near Armyansk, close to temporarily occupied Crimea, on July 13, according to the Ukrainian Telegram channel Nikolaevsky Vanyok. NASA FIRMS satellite data later detected a large thermal anomaly at the reported location, indicating a significant fire.

According to Nikolaevsky Vanyok, the target was a semi-underground Russian logistics complex in the village of Stavky, Kherson region, used to support Russian military operations near the administrative border with temporarily occupied Crimea.

The channel reported that the operation involved Ukrainian Air Force aircraft alongside drone units, including Lasar’s Group of the National Guard and the 34th Venom Unmanned Systems Center of the Ukrainian Navy.

According to Nikolaevsky Vanyok, the facility housed command posts, ammunition and equipment depots, and other logistics infrastructure inside reinforced semi-underground structures. The source said multiple precision-guided munitions were used because many of the facilities were protected underground.

“The target was a massive semi-underground logistics hub consisting of command posts, various warehouses, and other infrastructure important to the Russian forces.”

The channel also claimed Russian forces sustained personnel losses, including troops reported missing. It added that more details about the operation, along with combat footage, are expected to be released later.

NASA’s FIRMS satellite monitoring system recorded a large heat signature at the reported target area after the strike. The thermal anomaly corresponds to a fortified Russian military site near Stavky, a settlement located just south of Armyansk.

Satellite imagery published before the attack shows that Russian forces had developed the site into a heavily fortified logistics complex with trench systems, covered positions, underground vehicle entrances, and storage infrastructure built on the grounds of a former fish farm.

According to Nikolaevsky Vanyok, the strike became possible after Ukrainian forces had previously degraded Russian air defenses in the area.

“A year ago, an operation like this would not have been possible, but after clearing out part of the enemy’s air defenses in our sector, everything went according to plan.”

Armyansk is one of Russia’s key logistics gateways connecting temporarily occupied Crimea with Russian-controlled territory in southern Ukraine. The surrounding infrastructure supports the movement of personnel, ammunition, fuel, and military equipment toward the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia fronts.

The strike follows a series of Ukrainian attacks on Russian logistics infrastructure behind the front line. On July 12, operators from Ukraine’s 1st Azov Corps struck a concealed Russian fuel logistics hub inside a cement plant in temporarily occupied Donetsk region, damaging fuel storage facilities and disrupting railway supply routes used to support Russian forces.

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