Ukraine War Tide Turns: Humiliated Putin Suffers Major Defeat as Russian Forces Retreat from Crimea

Russia has been forced to evacuate all aircraft from two of its military bases in Crimea as Ukraine escalates its activities in the region.

The Ukrainian Navy announced that Moscow ordered the relocation of planes previously used to launch strikes on Ukraine from these airfields, Express has reported.

Following its annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia constructed five military airfields on the peninsula. However, according to spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk, "two of them are effectively without planes" now.

He noted that Russian forces could relocate the planes to the mainland, but this requires adequate logistics to supply fuel and other essentials.

This strategic move coincides with Kyiv intensifying its operations against Russia, delivering significant blows to its forces in the Black Sea over the weekend.

On Aug. 3, Ukraine sunk a Russian Kilo-class submarine and an S-400 anti-aircraft missile complex. The air defense system was initially established to protect the Kerch Strait Bridge, a critical logistics and transport hub for Russian forces.

Units from the missile forces and Navy damaged four launchers of the Triumph air defense system. Additionally, in Sevastopol, the "Rostov-on-Don," a submarine of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, was attacked and sank, according to a statement.

The General Staff also confirmed that Ukrainian forces struck the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region following a massive drone barrage on Russia.

The strike targeted warehouses storing ammunition, including guided aerial bombs. The operation was executed by the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Directorate of Intelligence and the Defense Ministry.

Meanwhile, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that a woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on an apartment building in Shebekino early Aug. 4. Ukrainian drones also damaged several other buildings in the town.

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In recent weeks, Moscow has faced a surge in drone barrages and long-range attacks targeting Russian military infrastructure, including airfields and oil depots.

Analysts suggest this intensification is necessary for Ukraine to degrade Russian capabilities.