Kyiv, UKRAINE (AP) December,6 – A fire at an airport in Russia’s southern Kursk region on the border with Ukraine was the result of a drone strike, the regional governor said on Tuesday. It has launched a new wave of missile strikes on Ukrainian territory, attacking air bases. Kursk governor Roman Starovoy said in a telegram post that a drone attack had ignited an oil reservoir near Kursk airport and that the fire was put out by ground crews.
Ukrainian officials have not officially confirmed the drone strikes were carried out and maintain a clear policy of deliberate obscurity, as they have done in the past regarding high-profile attacks against Russian targets.
Presidential adviser Mikhail Podlyak mocked Moscow on Twitter.
“When something is launched into the airspace of another country, sooner or later an unidentified flying object returns to its starting point,” Podoljak writes. “The earth is round.”
An unprecedented attack in Russia, more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the Ukrainian border, threatened a major escalation of the nine-month war. One of the airfields houses bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
The attacks have also exposed vulnerabilities in some of Russia’s most strategic military strongholds, raising questions about the effectiveness of their air defences.
The Russian Defense Ministry said three Russian soldiers were killed, four wounded and two planes slightly damaged by the debris.
The ministry did not disclose where the drone came from. But a Russian military blogger said it was likely launched by Ukrainian scouts, claiming the attack had caused serious reputational damage to Moscow.
The attacks on the Engels base in the Saratov region of the Volga River and the Diagilevo base in the Ryazan region of western Russia are part of Ukraine’s efforts to curb Russian long-range bombers, the ministry said.
Engels Base houses his Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers involved in attacks on Ukraine. Diaghirevo hosts tanker aircraft used for aerial refuelling.
In its daily intelligence report on the war in Ukraine, the UK Defense Ministry said Russia may view the attack on the base as “one of the most strategically important failures to protect its forces since the British invasion”. said to be high.
He said the bombers would likely be redeployed to other airfields.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian authorities will “take the necessary measures” to enhance the protection of key facilities in view of the latest Ukrainian attacks.
Speaking in a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Peskov said that “the Ukrainian regime’s course for the continuation of such terror attacks poses a threat.”
Peskov reaffirmed that Russia sees no prospects for peace talks now, adding that “the Russian Federation must achieve its stated goals.”
Russia, meanwhile, maintained intense attacks on Ukrainian territory, shelling towns overnight near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that left more than 9,000 homes without running water, local Ukrainian officials said.
The towns lie across the Dnieper river from the nuclear plant, which was seized by Russian forces in the early stages of the war. Russia and Ukraine have for months accused each other of shelling at and around the plant.
Ukrainian officials have not officially confirmed the drone strikes were carried out and maintain a clear policy of deliberate obscurity, as they have done in the past regarding high-profile attacks against Russian targets.
Presidential adviser Mikhail Podlyak mocked Moscow on Twitter.
“When something is launched into the airspace of another country, sooner or later an unidentified flying object returns to its starting point,” Podoljak writes. “The earth is round.”
An unprecedented attack in Russia, more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the Ukrainian border, threatened a major escalation of the nine-month war. One of the airfields houses bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
The attacks have also exposed vulnerabilities in some of Russia’s most strategic military strongholds, raising questions about the effectiveness of their air defences.
The Russian Defense Ministry said three Russian soldiers were killed, four wounded and two planes slightly damaged by the debris.
The ministry did not disclose where the drone came from. But a Russian military blogger said it was likely launched by Ukrainian scouts, claiming the attack had caused serious reputational damage to Moscow.
The attacks on the Engels base in the Saratov region of the Volga River and the Diagilevo base in the Ryazan region of western Russia are part of Ukraine’s efforts to curb Russian long-range bombers, the ministry said.
Engels Base houses his Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers involved in attacks on Ukraine. Diaghirevo hosts tanker aircraft used for aerial refuelling.
In its daily intelligence report on the war in Ukraine, the UK Defense Ministry said Russia may view the attack on the base as “one of the most strategically important failures to protect its forces since the British invasion”. said to be high.
He said the bombers would likely be redeployed to other airfields.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian authorities will “take the necessary measures” to enhance the protection of key facilities in view of the latest Ukrainian attacks.
Speaking in a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Peskov said that “the Ukrainian regime’s course for the continuation of such terror attacks poses a threat.”
Peskov reaffirmed that Russia sees no prospects for peace talks now, adding that “the Russian Federation must achieve its stated goals.”
Russia, meanwhile, maintained intense attacks on Ukrainian territory, shelling towns overnight near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that left more than 9,000 homes without running water, local Ukrainian officials said.
The towns lie across the Dnieper river from the nuclear plant, which was seized by Russian forces in the early stages of the war. Russia and Ukraine have for months accused each other of shelling at and around the plant.
