Six Russian Regions Hit by Ukrainian Drones in One Night

Ukrainian drones hit six separate provinces of Russia in one night – including a strike on a Russian air base near the border with Estonia that appears to have destroyed multiple aircraft – in the most widespread attacks inside Russia since the start of the war.

Moscow responded with one of its largest waves of drone attacks in months. According to Ukrainian officials two people were killed by falling debris as drones were intercepted over the capital Kyiv. 

Although Ukraine has repeatedly attacked targets on Russian soil including Moscow – BBC News estimates about 130 such attacks since the start of the war – the attacks overnight Tuesday struck a far wider set of targets than previous attacks, according to statements from Russian officials, including striking an airport in the Pskov region, more than 800 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

The Pskov incident is by far the deepest attack in Russian territory by Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Just 50 km from the border with Estonia, the Pskov attack led some NATO officials to speculate that the drones were launched by Ukrainian operatives inside Russia or Belarus.

Regional governor Mikhail Vedernikov confirmed the drone attack on Pskov airport, according to the Russian new agency Baza, which reported footage of burning Russian planes, including at least two ll-76 heavy transports destroyed and as many as four more damaged. 

“According to preliminary data, as a result of the attack, two Il-76 aircraft were destroyed, and four more aircraft were damaged,” reported Baza. 

Ukrainian intelligence officials claimed that at least four of the II-76 heavy transports had been destroyed, representing a major blow to the Russian military’s heavy lift abilities. 

According to defence analysts, the Russian Air Force only has 100 such planes listed and one NATO military official estimated, “The Russians would be lucky if two thirds were operational, it could be closer to half. If they lost four or six it’s going to be another slow degradation of Russia’s ability to move equipment and soldiers.”

The NATO official, who refused to be identified in the media, said the strikes all throughout western Russia in one night sent a signal that Russian President Vladimir Putin is struggling to secure Moscow and other key facilities throughout the country.

“Putin’s demanding to know where the drones that hit Pskov were launched from because it's clear it wasn’t from Ukraine,” said the official. “Estonia’s not going to start World War III and let Ukraine conduct attacks from NATO territory, so that leaves either Russia or Belarus as candidates.”

Although supplied with long range weaponry from NATO, Ukraine has been under significant pressure not to use Western weapons on targets inside Russia itself, instead relying on a sea and air drone program with considerable success, striking key bridges, military positions in occupied Crimea, Moscow, and throughout the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine itself.

“The Ukrainians are getting very good at [drone warfare] at both a tactical and strategic level,” said the NATO official. “The audacity and adaptability is something all of our militaries can learn from.”