PoliticsRussia

Actions

Largest attack on Russia in 18 months: Drones take aim at 6 targets

Drones hit an airport in the western Pskov region of Russia and started a massive fire there. State media said transport planes were damaged.
A police officer with an anti-drone gun at the entrance of the Porokhovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Posted

Russian officials accused Ukraine of targeting six Russian regions with drones early Wednesday in what appears to be the biggest drone attack on Russian soil since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine 18 months ago.

Drones hit an airport in the western Pskov region and started a massive fire there, the local governor and media reported. According to the Defense Ministry, more drones were also shot down over the regions of Oryol, Bryansk, Ryazan, Kaluga and the Moscow region surrounding the Russian capital.

The strike in Pskov hit an airport in the region's namesake capital and damaged four Il-78 transport aircraft, Russia’s state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials.

Pskov regional Gov. Mikhail Vedernikov ordered all flights to and from the Pskov airport canceled Wednesday, citing the need to assess the damage during daylight.

The Kremlin says Putin is not planning to attend Wagner chief's burial
A portrait of the owner of private military company Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin

The Kremlin says Putin is not planning to attend Wagner chief's burial

There is no word yet on what caused the plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin.

LEARN MORE

Footage and images posted on social media overnight showed smoke billowing over the city of Pskov and a large blaze. Vedernikov said there were no casualties, and the fire has been contained.

Pskov appeared to be the only region where the drones caused damage. Three drones were shot down over the Bryansk region, according to the Russian military, and two over the Oryol region, its Gov. Andrei Klychkov said. One was downed over the Ryazan region, one more over Kaluga, and one more over the Moscow region, officials said. No damage or casualties were registered in those regions.