THE POWER of Ukraine’s new long-range artillery is revealed by the carnage at Kherson Airport – where Russian invaders established a major headquarters.
Bricks and shredded metal from the destroyed terminal building were strewn hundreds of yards across the pan where passengers boarded Ryanair flights.
Frightened Russian troops scattered anti-tank mines and dug a trench across a runway in a doomed attempt to defend their positions from a stunning counterattack.
Rows of wrecked planes and derelict helicopters overlook abandoned Russian trenches and dugouts.
The heroic defenders of Ukraine used US and British long-range missiles to bombard Russian positions on the outskirts of the precious city to the south.
Major Valentine, a Ukrainian combat engineer, said hundreds of Russian troops died in bombardments.
He said, “It would have been very scary here.”
He led a specialized bomb squad that searched the crime scene for duds.
Russian troops dug pits to protect their tanks and trucks.
The wreckage of those unable to hide were towed to a nearby scrapyard, where a Russian artillery howitzer sat yards from an unused Grad rocket and half a dozen artillery shells.
Putin’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered a humiliating retreat after commanders said they could no longer supply their troops.
Tens of thousands of Russians retreated to the east bank of the Dnipro River last week.