SOPA Images / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett
Ukrainian drones attacked Pskov airport at the end of August 2023 (illustrative image).
INTERNATIONAL – This is a first. Ukraine claimed on Friday, September 1, to have carried out a drone strike on a Russian airport from Russian territory this week, with Kiev attempting to inflame hostilities against Russia while also conducting a counteroffensive to liberate the occupied territories.
On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, Ukrainian drones targeted the airport in Pskov, a Russian city near the border between Estonia, Latvia and Belarus, almost 700 kilometers from Ukraine. Drone attacks attributed to Ukraine have been occurring almost daily for several months, targeting both Moscow and other Russian cities.
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Screenshot from Google Maps
Pskov is on the red dot.
“The drones used to attack the Kresty airbase in Pskov were fired from inside Russia,” assured the head of military intelligence Kyrylo Boudanov on Telegram, referring to an article by The War Zone, to which he granted an interview.
“We operate from the territory of Russia,” Kyrylo Boudanov emphasized to The War Zone. According to this publication, the military official did not want to say whether the attack on Pskov was carried out by his men or by Russians acting on behalf of the Ukrainians.
The Kremlin declines to comment
This is the first time that Kiev has admitted to operating on Russian territory, where there have been not only several drone attacks, but also suspected acts of sabotage, as well as armed incursions by pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters.
According to Kyrylo Budanov, two Russian military aircraft were destroyed and two were seriously damaged in the attack on Pskov. The War Zone released satellite images showing charred equipment.
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The Kremlin refused to comment on the claim, saying Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov believed it was “a prerogative of our military.” “On August 29th at 11:28 p.m. (8:28 p.m. GMT) we were informed of a fire on Il-76 aircraft of the military cargo planes,” the emergency services had only announced on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday state authorities Ria Novosti and Tass.
Last week, a similar attack targeted an airfield in the neighboring Novgorod region, destroying or damaging at least one military aircraft.
Weapons with a range of 700 km
Kyrylo Boudanov’s comments come at a time when speculation is rife about how Ukraine is increasing its drone attacks on Russia. On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the fact that his country had reached a goal 700 kilometers away, without mentioning specific cases like that of Pskov.
“The result of our weapons, the new Ukrainian weapons, is 700 kilometers. “The goal is to go further,” he said. At the end of July, the Ukrainian head of state welcomed the fact that “the war is coming to the territory of Russia.”
Ukraine is trying to extend the fight to its neighbor at a time when it is conducting a very difficult counteroffensive to liberate the occupied territories to the east and south of its territory. Progress so far has been limited, but Kiev said this week it hoped for a breakthrough on the southern front after liberating the town of Robotyne.
But at the moment the progress, measured in km2, is less. In particular, the Ukrainian army must face a solid Russian defense consisting of trenches, tank traps and minefields stretching for hundreds of kilometers.
Back to school in Ukraine
In the face of numerous criticisms, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba launched a tirade of abuse. “Criticizing the slowness of the counteroffensive is tantamount to a slap in the face to the Ukrainian soldier who is sacrificing his life,” he said on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain.
“I recommend that anyone who criticizes shut up, come to Ukraine and try to free up a square centimeter for themselves,” he added.
In addition, this Friday is also the day of the start of the school year in Ukraine, as in Russia. That day was immediately disrupted in Kiev, where police reported bomb threats against facilities in the Ukrainian capital that they were reportedly inspecting without carrying out widespread evacuations.
“We have received information about the presence of bombs in schools in Kiev (…) All educational institutions are controlled by police forces,” she said on Telegram, then four million students would have to start classes in the capital.
In Russia, President Vladimir Putin is expected to intervene during a lesson for schoolchildren, while school curricula contain numerous topics promoting patriotism and the militarization of society.
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