The occupants have set up a large air base on the Arabat Spit. Satellite photo

The occupation forces of the aggressor country have deployed a large military airbase in the south of the Kherson region. It appeared on the territory of the seaside resort "Khvylia" (Wave) in the village of Strilkove on the Arabat Spit near the administrative border with the temporarily occupied Crimea.

This was reported by analysts of the Tatarigami_UA group on their account on X (formerly Twitter). On Thursday, December 7, they published the corresponding satellite photos.

Experts noted that Russian troops have set up secret helicopter bases and FARPs (firing and refueling points for aircraft) in various locations. In November 2022, when the Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced in the Kherson region and liberated the regional center, the Russians decided to move their helicopters from the Chaplynka airfield to safer inland areas.

One image shows about 20 helipads, some of which are occupied by Russian army helicopters such as Mi-24, Mi-8, Ka-52, and possibly Mi-28. This area is fenced off. However, these helipads are not visible in the images taken in 2021.

"This indicates rapid efforts to establish a special helicopter base conveniently located among beach resorts and hotels and potentially serving as housing for their pilots," the report said.

As noted, in the early stages of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian occupiers did not use this place to deploy their military equipment.

"The evacuation and relocation from the Chaplynka air base, as mentioned earlier, illustrates Russia's need to establish new hidden locations due to concerns that the site is a potential target. Given that Ukraine's range of weapons is growing, this trend will continue," the analysts write.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, on the night of October 17, the Ukrainian Defense Forces conducted powerful strikes on the base of Russian troops within the temporarily occupied Luhansk and Berdiansk. Enemy helicopters were hit there, as well as equipment at the seized airfields.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!