Russia restores runway at occupied Donetsk Airport for kamikaze drone launches, ISW says
Russia is repairing the runway at Donetsk airport, occupied since 2015, to expand its use of attack drones launched from Russian-held territories, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Aug. 3, citing the OSINT group Cyberboroshno.
Russia routinely uses occupied Ukrainian territory as a staging ground for attacks on areas under Ukrainian control.
Satellite imagery captured in July 2025 shows visible changes at the airport, the ISW said.
According to the OSINT group Cyberboroshno, Russia is constructing infrastructure at the site to support the deployment of Shahed-type drones, including models with jet engines, as well as Gerbera drones, which are primarily used as decoys during airstrikes.
Near the destroyed terminal, closed storage facilities are reportedly being built for the drones, along with manual control stations, unloading zones for combat payloads, false positions, air observation posts, and a reconstructed runway, the Cyberboroshno's report read.
Russian authorities have also partially removed fortifications from the runway and begun construction on adjacent parking areas, possibly in preparation for installing fuel storage tanks, the ISW said.
OSINT analysts suggested that drone launches are currently being planned from within Donetsk Oblast.
Donetsk Airport ceased operations in May 2014 following the beginning of the Russian occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Ukrainian forces defended the airport for 242 days before withdrawing completely on Jan. 23, 2015, after Russian troops destroyed the control tower and one of the terminals. According to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, 97 Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the battles for control of Donetsk Airport.
Since the start of the occupation, the airport has remained closed to civilian air traffic.
