Airfield in Pskov attacked from Russian territory: media shows moment of strike
Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, has said that the drone attack on the Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft in Pskov on the night of 29-30 August was carried out from Russian territory.
Source: Budanov's comment for The War Zone; Budanov on Telegram
Quote from Budanov: "We are working from the territory of Russia [on the airfield in Pskov – ed.]."
Details: At the same time, he did not specify whether the attack was carried out by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine or by the underground resistance movement. He also refused to say what kind of drones were used and did not name their numbers.
Assessing the combat damage to the aircraft, Budanov said that "two were destroyed and two were seriously damaged".
The War Zone also obtained a screenshot from the infrared camera of one of the drones used in the attack.
An image provided by a Defence Intelligence source shows the direct result of one of the strikes: it hit the same spot where the two aircraft were damaged.
The outlet suggested that fuel on board one of the planes caused the other two to burn completely, but "we can assume that the target was the same critical area".
The War Zone claimed that the bombs were dropped from drones operated by a local "dispatcher", which is consistent with Budanov's statement that it was a strike carried out inside Russia, probably very close to the base, and not using autonomous long-range drones.
Budanov noted on Telegram that the aggressor state used the aircraft to transport military cargo and personnel of the Russian airborne troops. "The fuel tanks and an important part of the wing spar, which are located in the upper part of the IL-76, were purposefully attacked," he stressed.
Previously: The Russian Volunteer Corps, which is fighting on the side of Ukraine, claimed responsibility for the attack on the airfield in Russia's Kursk region on 27 August.
Background:
- On 31 August, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine confirmed the destruction of four Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft during a nighttime drone attack on Pskov.
- On 21 August, Russian Telegram channels reported an attempted attack by an Armed Forces drone on an airfield in Kaluga Oblast. According to the Telegram channels, an unused aircraft was damaged. The governor of the oblast claimed that the UAV attack was repelled in Kirovo district and that there were no casualties or other damage to infrastructure.
- On 19 August, drones attacked a military airfield in Novgorod Oblast of the Russian Federation, and at least one aircraft was reportedly damaged.
- Later, the media reported that, as a result of the drone attack on the airfield, Ukraine was able to completely destroy a strategic nuclear bomber of the Russian Armed Forces for the first time.
- Later, a Ukrainska Pravda source in intelligence said that two Tu-22M3 strategic bombers were completely destroyed in the attacks on the Soltsy and Shaikovka airfields, and two other aircraft were damaged.
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