Strikes to Russian military airfield in Crimea caused serious problems in supply of Russians

On the night of 17 April, explosions occurred in the town of Dzhankoy near the military airfield. According to local residents, the explosions occurred before the air raid alert was announced.
Footage widely circulated on social media by Russian and Ukrainian sources show bright flashes of light and explosions, with sirens wailing in the background. A local Telegram channel reported "several loud explosions,", before a fire broke out. Roads around the air base are blocked, the channel later reported.
Dzhankoy is a major military hub, home to one of Russia's largest airfields in Crimea. It is a key location for supplying Russian troops up through Moscow-controlled southern Ukraine and the frontlines of fighting on the mainland. Russia annexed Crimea back in 2014.
Open-source intelligence accounts said that Russian forces used the airfield as a base for attack helicopters and anti-aircraft missile systems. Several reports suggest Ukrainian forces may have struck the facility, but Kyiv has not commented.
Russian airbases in Crimea have been targeted by Kyiv in the more than two years of all-out war. Earlier this year, Ukraine's air force said it had launched missile strikes on the Belbek airfield close to the port city of Sevastopol on Crimea's western edge.
Ukrainian military analyst Sergei Grabsky analyzed what the occupiers could have lost in Dzhankoy military airfield.
“Mainly helicopters are based at that airfield. But it is worth understanding that the airfield is not only a parking lot for aircraft. It is also a warehouse with supplies. Therefore, a series of explosions that began there even before the announcement of the air raid warning may mean that this strike was applied very accurately,” the expert commented.
He also noted that any attacks on Russian aviation pose a serious threat to the Russian Federation.
“If the Russian Federation is doing well with the land component at the moment, then restoring the air force component is something they have problems with. It is much more difficult to restore aviation equipment. Therefore, the destruction of any element of this type of weapon means large losses for the enemy,” Grabsky explained.
In addition, the expert confirmed the recent words of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that now the ratio of Ukrainian to Russian aviation can be considered as 1 to 30.
“The Russians have concentrated 300 planes and 290 helicopters on all fronts of this war. But the Russian Federation cannot increase its air component. And, relying on the help of Western allies, we can achieve parity,” the expert noted.