A drone attack on Pskov Airport, located in north-western Russia, has left two Ilyushin 76 military transport planes damaged. The planes caught fire as a result of the attack.
According to Tass news agency’s initial report, which cited information from emergency services, four Ilyushin 76 (Il-76) aircraft were damaged in the attack, with two of them catching fire. Subsequent reporting from the Ria news agency confirmed that only two Il-76 planes were indeed set ablaze.
Pskov’s regional governor, Mikhail Vedernikov, took to the messaging app Telegram to communicate about the defence ministry’s efforts in repelling the drone attack on the airport. Present at the scene, Vedernikov conveyed that there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Pskov is located over 600 kilometres (372 miles) away from Ukraine and is situated near the border with Estonia.
Ukraine, however, has not claimed any involvement in the drone attack. Historically, Ukraine has refrained from commenting on such incidents occurring on Russian territory. However, recent reports suggest that Ukraine has deployed explosive-laden drones against Russian targets.
Reports also indicate that Russia’s military recently undertook a successful operation in the Black Sea, targeting and destroying four Ukrainian rapid boats that were allegedly carrying around 50 soldiers. The operation took place at midnight Moscow time, catching Ukraine off guard. As of now, Ukrainian authorities have yet to issue an official response.
In a separate development, the Russian military downed three Ukrainian drones in the southern Bryansk region, and another in the central Oryol region.
This is not the first time the Pskov region has experienced drone attacks. Notably, a similar incident occurred in late May, raising questions about the security of the area and its susceptibility to these advanced forms of attack.
Though Ukraine hasn’t officially claimed responsibility for specific drone strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously acknowledged that attacks on Russian territory are an “inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair process” given the ongoing conflict with Russia.