Dramatic moment Ukraine’s ‘Storm Shadow’ missile blitzes Russian airfield – after Moscow claimed it thwarted the attack
UKRAINE has blown up a Russian military base in annexed Crimea using suspected Storm Shadow missiles in a daylight blitz.
A fiery inferno erupted at Belbek airfield near to Vladimir Putin's Black Sea headquarters today in a humiliating blow to the tyrant.
The Ukrainian military quickly claimed the attack which struck the airfield on the southwestern tip of Russian-occupied Crimea near Russia's main naval base at Sevastopol.
The site is believed to hold a significant chunk of Russia's fighter jet fleet stationed on the peninsula.
In a post on Telegram, Ukraine's Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk thanked the military for conducting the operation.
"Ukrainian aviators will definitely return to their home airfield," the general said, posting a video from social media of the purported strike.
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He added: "And now thanks to everyone who joined in clearing Crimea of the Russian presence!"
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, Moscow thwarted the attack and shot down 20 Ukrainian missiles - 17 over the Black Sea and three more over the peninsula.
The ministry said fragments of Ukrainian missiles fell on the territory of a military unit in Lyubimovka, which is near the Belbek military air base.
The incident caused no damage to "aviation equipment", it said.
However, the footage suggests otherwise as a huge explosion appears to have occurred directly on the airfield.
Unconfirmed reports suggested that British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles were used in the aggressive strike, which allegedly destroyed two Russian Su-27 fighter jets and one Su-30.
The £800,000 bunker-busting cruise missiles are known for their skills in dodging air defence systems and using GPS to precisely hit targets.
One video appears to show the moment Russian air defence systems miss a second incoming missile that hits the site which is already engulfed in flames.
Locals reported other explosions ringing our across occupied Crimea in the cities of Sevastopol, near Saky, Feodosiia, Rozdilne and Hvardiiske.
Putin's beloved £3billion Kerch Bridge - which has previously been hit by Ukraine and connects the Crimean peninsula to Russia - was also closed for traffic due to an air-raid warning.
Only today it was announced that Ukraine will receive its first big batch of game-changing longer-range missiles that promise to blast Putin targets twice as deep.
The imminent arrival of the brand new 100-mile precision warheads follows months of testing by the US military.
The Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs - created by aviation giant Boeing - will arrive as soon as today, according to US officials.
The war-torn country needs the new bomb to augment its limited supply of 100-mile range Army Tactical Missile System rockets which have already been provided by the US.
An unnamed US official told it is expected to be "a significant capability for Ukraine".
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The official said: "It gives them a deeper strike capability they haven’t had, it complements their long-range fire arsenal.
"It’s just an extra arrow in the quiver that’s gonna allow them to do more."
Britain's Storm Shadow missiles
VLADIMIR Putin's biggest headache - the war-ship sinking, bunker-busting British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles
The UK began supplying Ukraine with the lethal Anglo-French designed GPS-guided missiles in May 2023.
The roughly £3million air-launched projectiles — which can fly in zig-zags at varying altitude - have been busy dodging Russian air defence systems and blasting targets deep behind enemy lines.
They can travel up to 600mph and strike targets up to 350 miles away.
It means they can hit targets at maximum range in just 35 minutes - travelling nearly half the length of the UK.
Defence analyst Paul Beaver told The Sun: “Storm Shadow is giving Ukraine a very significant advantage — and I don’t believe Russian claims that 50 per cent of them are being stopped.
“They can fly around targets before striking to totally blindside enemy forces.”
Last September, Ukraine used Storm Shadow missiles to blow up Russia's feared Black Sea fleet headquarters in Sevastopol in occupied-Crimea.
The devastating attack destroyed the entire building and killed at least 34 Russian officers including the fleet's commander.
In December, the same projectiles were used to sink a Russian warship in Crimea.
More than 30 Russian sailors are thought to have been killed in the attack on the Novocherkassk landing ship.
The missile have also been used to attack the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port cities of Berdiansk and Mariupol.
While the missiles could easily reach targets inside Russia, Ukraine has agreed not to use it against military assets inside the Russian Federation to avoid escalating the war.