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Ukraine says Pskov airport attacked from inside Russia

An explosion lights up the sky in the northwestern city of Pskov on August 30, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

Ukraine claims that a recent drone attack on an airport in the Russian city of Pskov was carried out from inside Russia.

Russia said on Wednesday that drones hit an airport in the western Pskov region, leaving several transport planes damaged.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said at the time it had thwarted Ukrainian drones in five Russian regions.

On Friday, the head of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov claimed that the attacks were carried out from within Russian territory.

"We are operating from Russian territory," he claimed while speaking to the online publication WarZone. 

"Four Russian IL-76 military transport planes were hit as a result of the attack. Two were destroyed and two were seriously damaged," Budanov said.

The region of Pskov is surrounded by NATO members Estonia and Latvia to its west and Belarus to its south. The region was also targeted by drones in late May.

Ukraine has ramped up its attempts to target Russian territory, including Moscow, with drone strikes in recent weeks.

Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in early June, hoping to push south toward the Crimean Peninsula by the end of the year. Its forces, however, have been making slow gains against Russian positions, in particular in the south of the country.

The US intelligence agencies believe the counteroffensive will stall before reaching the key southeastern city of Melitopol, according to a US intelligence assessment, obtained by the Washington Post.

According to Russian estimates, the counteroffensive has cost Ukraine more than 43,000 troops and nearly 5,000 pieces of heavy equipment in exchange for a handful of villages.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly blamed the West for his military’s lack of success. He claimed that he was not provided adequate weapons for the mission.


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