Satellite images have been published showing the site of the August 9 explosions near the military airport in Novofedorivka. The images published by Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins were taken by the Planet satellite surveillance project. According to experts' estimates, 9 to 14 planes were destroyed.
The satellite images show burnt-out Russian equipment. One photo depicts more than ten destroyed Su-24Ms and Su-30SMs. One Su-30 is worth about $30 million, the Su-24 is worth $5 million. In total, Russia lost between $120 million and $220 million worth of military equipment in the bombings.
This is how the airport looked before the explosion:
OSINT experts point out that the images confirm serious losses of Russian aircraft. According to them, at least three Su-30s and six Su-24s were destroyed. Another two Su-24s and three Su-30s may have been destroyed, but it cannot be confirmed due to the quality of the images.
The explosions near the military airfield in Novofedorivka took place on August 9. According to the «head» of Crimea Sergey Aksenov, one person was killed and at least 13 people were injured. The Russian Defense Ministry claims that the explosions were caused by the detonation of ammunition at the depot, the ministry has denied that the airfield was shelled. The New York Times published a story citing a «Ukrainian military source» which suggested that the AFU might be behind the explosions. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes that the Ukrainian army might have struck the airfield with Neptun anti-ship missiles, but there is no confirmation of this version.