At night, Ukrainian air defense shot down 5 cruise missiles and 11 drones. The main direction of the attack is Starokostiantynivʼs airfield

On the evening of July 11, Russian troops attacked from strategic aviation planes with 5 Kh-101 cruise missiles, and during the night — with 19 Shahed drones and drones of an unknown type, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk said.

Ukrainian air defense destroyed all 5 Kh-101 missiles and 11 drones. The remaining 8 drones were lost in location — presumably, the Russians use simulators of attack UAVs to overload the air defense.

The main direction of the attack is Starokostyantyniv in the Khmelnytskyi region.

Missiles were shot down in Khmelnytskyi, Sumy, and Cherkasy regions, and drones were shot down in Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kherson, and Sumy regions.

Why are the Russians attacking Starokostyantyniv?

A military aviation unit has been located in Starokostyantyniv for the past 70 years. During the times of the Soviet Union, there was the 63rd Bombardment Division, and then the 7th Bombardment Regiment.

Since 2008, the military unit in Starokostyantyniv has been called the "7th Tactical Aviation Brigade named after Petro Franko" — in honor of Ivan Frankoʼs son, who was a pilot and developed military aviation.

Now the Starokostyantyniv air base is one of the most equipped in the country. There are specially fortified parking spaces and a suitable runway.

Presented in May 2020, the "Vision of the Air Force until 2035" declared that the airfields in Starokostiantyniv, as well as in Ozerny (Zhytomyr Region), were to be reequipped to become exemplary, in particular for foreign aviation equipment.