The head of Ukraine’s secret service, Kyrylo Budanov, assured Friday (01/09/2023) that the latest drone attack on an airport in northwestern Russia was carried out from Russian territory amid a counter-offensive to liberate occupied territories. According to Kiev and Russian media, four transport aircraft were destroyed or damaged in the operation.
“The drones used to attack the “Kresty” airbase in Pskov were launched from Russia,” Kyrylo Budanov said on Telegram this Friday, including in his message a link to an interview he gave to The War Zone media had offered. It is the first time Kiev has admitted operating on Russian territory, where there have been multiple drone strikes and alleged acts of sabotage.
“We operate from the territory of Russia,” Budanov emphasized in an interview with The War Zone. According to the publication, the military official did not say whether the attack on Pskov was the work of his men or Russian fighters acting on behalf of Ukraine. The Kremlin, for its part, declined to comment on the claim. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this was “a prerogative of our military.”
Planes to the Far East
According to Budanov, two Russian military aircraft were destroyed and two others were seriously damaged. The War Zone released satellite images of the burned plane. Last week, a similar attack hit an airfield in the neighboring Novgorod region, destroying or damaging at least one military aircraft.
Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian airfields are forcing Moscow to withdraw its planes from Ukraine, partly to Far Eastern regions, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said. “Russia can no longer feel safe over long distances and must shift its aviation to the Far East itself,” Ignat said in an interview with Ukrainian television’s national news service.
DZC (AFP, EFE)