Drones targeted Russian territory in several locations overnight. One particular attack on an airport in the north-western Russian city of Pskov, near the Estonian border, damaged four Ilyushin 76 transport aircraft.
Regional governor Mikhail Vedernikov said that the attack at Pskov Airport (PKV) was repelled.
The state news agency TASS, citing rescue services, reported that four Il-76 heavy cargo aircraft suffered damage due to the attack on the airport. RIA Novosti specified that two of them caught fire as a result of the drone strikes.
The Ilyushin Il-76 is a large, four-engine jet transport aircraft developed by the Soviet Union during the 1970s. It is designed to perform a variety of roles, including airlifting heavy and oversized cargo and transporting troops.
Pskov Airport houses the 334th Military Transport Aviation Regiment which flies the Ilyushin Il-76.
A video shared by Vedernikov showed a massive fire, accompanied by explosions.
In response to the attacks, authorities canceled all flights from Pskov Airport for the day, pending an assessment of potential damage to the runway.
Simultaneously, Ukrainian drones were reported across Russian territory during the night, over the southern region of Bryansk and one over the central region of Oryol, with some reportedly penetrating regions near Moscow.
Air traffic was briefly suspended at the capital city’s Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo international airports.
Overnight Russian strikes on Kyiv, two dead, two wounded
In the meantime, Russian armed forces also targeted Ukraine’s capital, launching several waves of Shahed-136/131 loitering munitions, as well as cruise missiles air-launched from Tu-95MS bombers over the Caspian Sea and the Engels city area.
“All 28 cruise missiles and 15 out of 16 attack UAVs were destroyed,” Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, reported that two people were killed and two more were hospitalized with injuries as a result of the Russian attack.