Ukraine has reportedly introduced drone strikes against three military airfields in Russia, one of which houses aircraft that can launch hypersonic missiles.
As Ukraine continues its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, kyiv continues its drone attacks in Russia, targeting army sites and infrastructure in moves aimed at damaging Moscow’s war machine. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Russian officials say air defenses have intercepted Ukrainian drones, even as photos of the destruction are shared on social media. On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry boasted of its good luck in thwarting attacks with drones and Tochka-U tactical missiles.
However, social media accounts tell another story. The Astra telegram channel said Ukrainian drones attacked an airfield in Borisoglebsk, in the eastern Voronezh region, and posted a video that it said showed explosions and gunfire.
Another military airfield in the region, Baltimore, was also attacked, according to the VCHK-OGPU Telegram channel, suspected of having ties to Russian security agencies. “The Voronezh region attacked with drones throughout the night,” the message said.
“Residents hear explosions, several fires are seen,” the message adds. “Presumably one of the targets of the attack is the Baltimore military airfield,” where the Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-24M aircraft are located.
Separately, Nizhny Novgorod region governor Gleb Nikitin said on Telegram on Tuesday that a drone attack took place overnight in the Kulebaksky region, where the Savasleyka airbase is located.
The site is more than 400 miles from the border with Ukraine and, as reported through Defense Express, is home to Mikoyan MiG-31 aircraft, which can carry the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that Russia used in the war.
Nikitin said on Telegram that “Russian air defense and electronic warfare systems are working this morning to suppress the attack by aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles. “
“All necessary measures are being taken to deal with the consequences. According to initial information, there are no casualties at the moment,” Nikitin added.
Alexander Gusev, governor of Voronezh, said that more than 35 Ukrainian drones attacked the region from Ukraine, but that “thanks to the well-coordinated operations of our air defense forces, there were no casualties,” and no debris brought down buildings.
“The danger of a drone (unmanned aerial vehicle) attack in the region persists,” Tuesday’s message added. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a message on Telegram that, in addition to Voronezh and Nizhny Novgorod, Ukraine carried out attacks in the Belgorod, Bryansk, Oryol and Rostov regions. “Operational air defense systems destroyed 4 tactical missiles and 117 drones,” he said.
Brendan Cole is a senior reporter at Newsweek in London, UK. He focuses on Russia and Ukraine, specifically the war unleashed through Moscow. He also covers other areas of geopolitics, adding China.
Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and, in addition to English, studies Russian and French.
You can contact Brendan by emailing b. cole@newsweek. com or by following him on his X @brendanmarkcole account.
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