Ukraine’s military intelligence chief said Friday that a recent drone attack on an airport in western Russia that damaged several transport planes was carried out from within Russian territory.
The attack this week on Pskov airport, located some 700 kilometers from Ukraine, was carried out alongside similar strikes in several regions across western and central Russia, marking one of the most large-scale assaults on Russian territory since the start of the war.
“The drones used to attack the Kresty air base in Pskov were launched from Russia,” Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov wrote on social media Friday.
It was not immediately possible to independently verify his claim.
“Four Russian IL-76 military transport planes were hit as a result of the attack. Two were destroyed and two were seriously damaged,” he added.
Citing satellite imagery, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s investigative project Skhemy on Thursday reported that at least two Russian military aircraft were damaged as a result of the drone strikes.
Budanov said the aircraft had been used by the Russian Defense Ministry to transport troops and cargo.
The Kremlin said this week that military experts were working to determine which routes drones have been taking to strike deeper within Russian territory in order “to prevent such situations in the future.”
The region of Pskov, which was also targeted by drones in late May, is surrounded by NATO members Estonia and Latvia to its west and Belarus to its south.
AFP contributed to this reporting.