Ammunition Detonates at Airfield in Rostov Following Drone Attack

Ukrainian Defense Forces drones struck a military airfield in Rostov, triggering the detonation of ammunition.

Exilenova+ published a video showing the fire.

The attack took place on the night of September 16–17, 2026. Following the explosions, local residents began reporting secondary detonations.

NASA’s FIRMS monitoring service also confirmed the airfield fire, detecting the blaze at 1:33 a.m.

According to the detected fire, it affected both the aircraft parking lot and part of the airfield’s runway. Transport aircraft may also have been hit in the attack.

The airfield serves as the base for the 30th Independent Composite Transport Aviation Regiment, which is part of the 4th Air and Air Defense Forces Command.

The regiment operates An-12, An-26, and An-148-100E and other aircraft, as well as Mi-8 and Mi-26 helicopters.

Following the start of the full-scale invasion, the airfield also became a deployment site for Russian military personnel, as well as military equipment and weapons.

This is not the first attack on the military facility. On September 6, 2026, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported an attack on the airfield. However, no further details emerged afterward.

Rostov pic.twitter.com/qZ2AolyIyd

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) September 17, 2026

In November 2025, the ATESH partisan movement carried out a successful sabotage operation, destroying an R-417 Baget radio-relay station vehicle.

The R-417 Baget is a mobile troposcatter communications system mounted on a KamAZ-4310 truck basis.

It provides data transmission between units, coordinates flights, manages combat aircraft sorties, and helps maintain airfield security.