Ukraine is increasingly carrying out direct attacks on Russian territory. On Wednesday (30/82023), six points in the Red Bear Country were bombarded by drones from Kyiv troops, including the airfield where they destroyed a military transport plane.
Russian officials, quoted by Reuters , said the attacks took place in the Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions.
In Pskov, northern Russia, more than 600 km (400 miles) from Ukraine, a large fire broke out at a military airfield. The TASS news agency reported that at least four Il-76 giant transport planes were damaged, two of which were “on fire”.
The attack came as authorities in Kyiv reported at least two people killed in what they described as Russia’s heaviest airstrike on the Ukrainian capital for months.
Footage published by the Pskov governor on Telegram shows a large fire accompanied by sirens and explosions. Another video posted online showed the anti-aircraft system in action around the town, which is just 32 km (20 miles) east of Russia’s border with NATO member Estonia.
Moscow claims to have thwarted all attacks against Russia. Russia typically describes all Ukrainian drone strikes as unsuccessful, regardless of the damage caused on the ground.
There was no comment from Kyiv, which generally withholds comment on specific attacks on territory in Russia, but says it has the right to attack military targets in self-defense.
Ukraine’s Western allies generally prohibit Kyiv from using the weapons they supply to attack Russia, but say Kyiv has the right to carry out such attacks with its own weapons.
Russia says Ukrainian drones tried to attack a TV tower in the Bryansk region. No fatalities were reported.
Moscow also said its planes had destroyed four Ukrainian fast attack boats carrying up to 50 paratroopers in the Black Sea.
Attacks on Russia in recent weeks, including repeated drone strikes on central Moscow, have brought the war home for many Russians for the first time, even as Ukrainians have spent the past year and a half in danger from airstrikes.
Moscow relentlessly pounded Ukrainian cities with long-range missiles and drone attacks throughout the war. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed.
Ukraine said its air defenses had shot down 28 Russian missiles and 15 of 16 drones fired overnight. The explosion occurred in Kyiv where authorities said debris fell in four areas, killing at least two people.
“Kyiv has not experienced attacks this strong since the spring. The enemy launched a massive combined attack using drones and missiles,” Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s military administration, said via Telegram.
On the front lines, Ukrainian troops have been waging a summer offensive for nearly three months. They have yet to achieve a breakthrough in Russia’s heavily mined and fortified defenses, although in the past week they claimed to have finally broken through the first main line of defense.
Source : CNBC
