Military Airfield Repeatedly Targeted in Rostov as 50+ Drone Swarm Hits Region Again

Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on Russia’s Rostov Region overnight on Sept. 18, with more than 50 drones reportedly intercepted over Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Bataysk and five other districts, regional Governor Yuri Slyusar said. Slyusar said no one was injured, but falling drone debris damaged homes, cars, gas infrastructure and power lines.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. In the city of Azov, five private houses and four vehicles were damaged, while several gas pipelines were hit, disrupting supplies to some homes, according to the governor. Local residents reported loud explosions beginning around 12:30 a.m. Rostov-on-Don Mayor Alexander Skryabin warned residents that air defenses were operating and urged them to remain indoors. The precise target of the attack has not been confirmed. A Ukrainian monitoring channel, Supernova, claimed that an airbase in Rostov may have been targeted. Ukrainian channels also circulated footage purportedly showing air-defense fire and explosions over the city. The Crimean Wind channel reported a fire “in the area of the airfield.” The reports could not be independently verified. The overnight attack came a day after Ukraine said it had struck the Rostov-Central military airfield. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said the Sept. 17 strike damaged three military aircraft and three helicopters, including an An-12 military transport plane and two An-26 aircraft. The SBU said a fire broke out at the aircraft parking area and was followed by explosions. Other Topics of Interest Tusk: Intelligence Warns Russia Plans ‘Accidental’ Hybrid Strikes Against Ukraine’s Allies Tusk says Moscow could disguise drone or missile strikes as accidents to weaken NATO cohesion and test Article 5. Ukraine has previously reported strikes on the same airfield. On Sept. 6, the Ukrainian General Staff said it had hit the facility, while also claiming that a Podlet radar system and two Pantsir-S1 air-defense systems were destroyed. No visual evidence was provided to substantiate those claims. Russia’s Defense Ministry has not provided details about the reported overnight attack beyond the regional authorities’ statements. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.