Ukraine
Military airfield struck as Russia launch biggest barrage
Russia has hit Ukraine overnight with its largest drone attack since the start of the war, causing some damage at a military airfield in the west of the country that was one of its main targets, the Ukrainian air force says.
It was the latest in Russian onslaughts since Ukraine destroyed a number of Russian bombers in drone attacks on air bases deep inside Russia earlier this month.
Ukraine's air defence units downed 460 out of 479 drones and 19 out of 20 missiles launched by the Russian forces, the air force said in a statement.
As well as drones, 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine, according to the air force, which said the barrage targeted mainly central and western areas of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air force said its air defences destroyed 277 drones and 19 missiles in mid-flight on Sunday night, claiming that only 10 drones or missiles hit their target. Officials said one person was injured.
A military airfield close to Ukraine's western border was the key target, air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said.
"The main strike was targeting... one of the operational air fields. There are some hits," Ihnat told Ukrainian TV, without elaborating on the damage.
The airfield is in the city of Dubno, about 60 km (40 miles) from Ukraine's border with Poland, Ukrainian regional authorities said.
Polish and allied aircraft were activated early on Monday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the Polish armed forces said.
Russia's Defence Ministry said the attack was another strike in response to Kyiv's attacks on Russian bases this month, adding that "all designated facilities" had been hit.
It was not possible to independently verify the claims.
A recent escalation in aerial attacks has coincided with a renewed Russian battlefield push on eastern and northeastern parts of the roughly 1,000 km (620-mile) front line.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Sunday that in some of those areas “the situation is very difficult”. He provided no details.
Ukraine is short-handed on the front line against its bigger enemy and needs further military support from its Western partners, especially air defences. But uncertainty about the US policy on the war has fuelled doubts about how much help Kyiv can count on.
Two recent rounds of direct peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul have yielded no significant breakthroughs beyond pledges to swap prisoners as well as thousands of their dead and seriously wounded troops.
Russia’s aerial attacks usually start late in the evening and end in the morning, because drones are harder to spot in the dark.
'The situation is very difficult' - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. - AP
Russia has targeted civilian areas of Ukraine with Shahed drones during the war. The attacks have killed more that 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations. Russia says it targets only military targets.
Ukraine has developed long-range drones that continue to strike deep inside Russia.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Monday that it shot down 49 Ukrainian drones overnight over seven Russian regions.
Two drones hit a plant specializing in electronic warfare equipment in the Chuvashia region, located more than 600 km east of Moscow, local officials reported.
Alexander Gusev, head of Russia’s Voronezh region, said that 25 drones had been shot down there overnight, damaging a gas pipeline and sparking a small fire.
The Ukrainian General Staff claimed special operations forces forces struck two Russian fighter jets stationed at the Savasleyka airfield in Russia’s Novgorod region located some 650 km from Ukrainian border.
The statement did not say how the planes were struck.
