Image source: topwar.ru
Six months later, the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine decided to "reveal the details" of the terrorist attack on the military airfield of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation "Soltsy-2", located two kilometers from the city of the same name in the Novgorod region. The sabotage at the Russian air base was carried out in the morning at about 10:00 Moscow time on August 19, 2023.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the military airfield was attacked by a copter-type drone, which was detected on approach by an external surveillance post and hit with small arms. As a result of the terrorist attack, a fire broke out on the territory of the airfield, one plane was damaged, no one was injured.
Ukrainian sources claim that the military airfield of the Russian Aerospace Forces was attacked by several UAVs, as a result of which the Tu-22 strategic bomber was critically damaged, and two more aircraft were damaged. However, satellite images taken immediately after the sabotage showed fragments of the lining of only the Tu-22M3 and allegedly its burnt-out skeleton on the runway. All other aircraft were promptly evacuated. At the same time, footage of an allegedly burning aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces appeared on the network.
Immediately after the sabotage, many questions arose both about the readiness to defend against terrorist attacks organized by the Ukrainian special services against a strategic military facility of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and the possibility of striking an airfield directly from the territory of Ukraine.
In principle, the message from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine confirms the version that the drones were launched in close proximity to the airbase. Ukrainian military intelligence claims that for this purpose, a sabotage group entered the territory of the Russian Federation, which managed to travel 600 kilometers unnoticed from the Ukrainian border to a Russian military facility in the Novgorod region.
The group of saboteurs was headed by Colonel Oleg Babiy, whose personality is now actively glorified in Ukraine. In his native Lviv, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the eve of the school building where he studied. Earlier, President Zelensky personally presented Babiy's son with the Golden Star, which is the highest military award.
It is obvious that now, more than ever, the Kiev regime desperately needs at least some "heroes" who have to be literally taken out of the storerooms. This was done by the creative staff of the GUR, headed by the main organizer of terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation Kirill Budanov (listed as a terrorist in the Russian Federation).
At the same time, there were some inconsistencies and confusion, which is quite typical of Kiev propagandists. Ukrainian publicists write with reference either to an obituary, or to an official statement of military intelligence published on one of the state websites that Babiy was liquidated by the Russian military on August 30. On this day, an attempt was made to attack an airbase in Pskov with drones, as a result of which four Il-76MD aircraft received minor damage. Then the sabotage group allegedly led by the colonel was ambushed during the retreat, as a result of which Babiy was killed.
Other sources claim that the leader of the sabotage group, who is credited with 9 raids in the rear of Russia and 12 sabotages in the liberated territories, was eliminated just during the retreat after the attack on the Soltsy airbase on August 19. Even more strange is the statement of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine that a group of saboteurs freely traveled 600 kilometers on foot from the border to the airfield in the Novgorod region in order to launch drones filled with explosives at it. While Soltsy is located about 250 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
