- A Ukrainian drone strike damaged four Russian transport planes at a Russian airbase in Pskov, per reports.
- The strike comes as Ukraine ramps up its attacks in Russia to bring to the war home to Putin.
- Satellite imagery suggests two of the planes were destroyed and two were significantly damaged.
Four Russian transport planes were damaged this week after a Ukrainian drone strike hit a Russian airbase hundreds of miles from the fighting in Ukraine, officials said.
The strike represents one of the most significant attacks in Russian territory since the war began and comes as Ukraine ramps up its hits against Russia in an effort to bring the war home for Moscow after more than 18 months of brutal fighting on Ukraine’s land.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s intelligence branch of the Ministry of Defense told Reuters that four Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes were destroyed beyond repair at a Russian airfield in the Pskov region on Tuesday night, but did not offer additional details about the strike.
The city of Pskov is located in Russia’s far northwest, more than 400 miles from the Ukrainian border. A spokesperson with the Russian foreign ministry said the attacks would “not go unpunished,” and accused the West of aiding in the attack, saying Ukrainian drones could not have reached so far into Russia without help, according to NBC News.
Pskov Governor Mikhail Vedernikov shared a video on Telegram that appeared to show a giant cloud of smoke over the airbase as the sound of sirens rang out. He said there were no casualties in the incident.
Satellite imagery shared on social media in the aftermath of the attack suggests two of the IL-76 planes were completely destroyed in an explosion, while two other cargo planes were significantly damaged.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense spokesperson told Reuters that several other aircraft at the base were also damaged in the strike. Ukraine stuck with its typical policy of refraining from offering specifics about strikes that occur within Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was investigating where the drones were launched from in an effort to prevent future attacks, media outlets reported.
The attack in Pskov was part of a broader Ukrainian assault that hit at least six regions in Russia over Tuesday night. Drone strikes have become a near-regular occurrence in Russia in recent months as Ukraine seeks to unnerve Russia.
