Ukrainian special forces have conducted a significant operation targeting Russian assets in Syria. The Kyiv Post has obtained exclusive videos and photos showing the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) units executing an attack on the Kuweires airbase in Aleppo province at the end of July 2024.
Sources within Ukraine’s intelligence agency disclosed that the Khimik group carried out a complex strike against Russian positions. The operation focused on the Kuweires airbase, a key location east of Aleppo, which has been occupied by Russian forces since their intervention in Syria in 2015. One video reportedly shows a Ukrainian attack on a Russian mobile electronic warfare vehicle.
Other videos from the Kyiv Post reveal drones attacking various Russian military targets at the airbase. These strikes destroyed key assets, including a Russian mobile EW complex. The attack came just one day after a meeting in the Kremlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on July 24.
This operation is part of a broader campaign by Ukrainian forces to target Russian military facilities far from the frontlines in eastern Ukraine. Earlier in June, the Kyiv Post published footage of Ukrainian special forces attacking Russian checkpoints, strongholds, and military equipment Syria’s Golan Heights.
Syrian researcher Suheil Al-Ghazi noted that while Kuweires airbase has been used by Russian helicopters in northern Syria, it is unlikely to serve as a significant logistics point for Russian mercenary activities. Despite this, the presence of Russian forces and their equipment at the base indicates a notable security lapse, as evidenced by the successful Ukrainian drone strikes.
The Kuweires airbase, once besieged by the Islamic State and later recaptured by Russian-backed Syrian forces, has previously been a strategic point for Russian military operations in the region.
Ukraine’s efforts to widen the conflict with Russia beyond its borders have included promises by Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the HUR, to “destroy Russian war criminals anywhere in the world they may be.” This strategy has seen Ukrainian operations targeting Russian interests in Syria and Africa, aiming to stretch Russian military resources thin.
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