AIR ASSAULT
Ukraine blitzes Putin’s forces with 117 drones blowing up two air bases as Zelensky vows to go ‘even deeper’ into Russia
Ukraine's forces have been rapidly rumbling into Russia in a brave advance
UKRAINE has blitzed Putin's forces with massive kamikaze drone and missile strikes overnight as Zelensky has vowed to go "even deeper" into Russia.
Some 117 drones targeted at least nine regions across Russia, hitting four crucial airfields in Kyiv's largest drone attack to date.
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One of them includes the Savasleyka military base in the Nizhny Novgorod, home to lethal hypersonic Kinzhal missiles and MiG-31K aircraft used to bomb Ukraine.
A clip on X, formerly Twitter, appeared to show the moment when a Ukrainian kamikaze drone hit the aircraft parking lot of the Russian Air Force at the Savasleyka airfield this morning.
The drone attacks were intended to undermine Russia's capacity to utilise jets to launch glide bombs onto Ukraine, a Ukrainian security source told Reuters.
An aircraft-type drone was seen in the sky ahead of the strike with a total of ten “arrivals” reported.
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A video from ASTRA media outlet suggests that there was a direct hit.
Footage also showed thundering explosions and fire around Borisoglebsk airbase in Voronezh region, home to the 160th Fighter Aviation Regiment.
Kursk city - capital of the region where Ukraine’s troops are staging a counteroffensive - was targeted by missiles which Moscow said had been downed.
Kyiv now claims to control 74 settlements in the region, and more territory than Russia had gained in Ukraine all year in its 2024 offensive.
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This represents a huge humiliation for the Kremlin dictator, and President Joe Biden said: “It's creating a real dilemma for Putin.”
Governor Alexei Smirnov admitted today: “Our air defence is repelling attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“Four Ukrainian missiles have been shot down.”
There were claims that the town of Kurchatov - home to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant - was attacked by drone but with no detail.
Incredible animation shows Ukraine’s storming invasion of Russia as they seize 400 square miles in just ONE WEEK
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This comes as one Russian military channel said Ukrainian forces on the ground were still seeking to reach the strategic atomic station.
Rybar reported: “In the border area of Kursk region, Ukrainian troops continue their attempts to advance northward toward Kurchatov.”
Neighbouring border region Belgorod was targeted overnight too, and governor Vyachelsav Gladkov imposed a state of emergency on his territory which is also seen as vulnerable to Ukrainian incursions.
“The situation in the Belgorod region continues to be extremely difficult and tense,” he said.
Russian air defences were active in downing dozens of drones and the extent of Ukrainian hits in the huge strikes was awaiting assessment.
The Russian defence ministry say they shot down four Tochka-U tactical missiles and 117 kamikaze drones over multiple Russian regions.
The strikes amounted to one of the heaviest of the entire war.
Some 35 drones were aimed at the region of Voronezh.
Reports said one shot down drone had hit a farm triggering a huge blaze.
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Some reports said the Baltimore [correct] airfield was targeted as well as Borisoglebsk.
Roads around Savasleyka military base in Nizhny Novgorod region were blocked after the strikes.
Ukrainian drones were also shot down over the Bryansk, Oryol, Rostov Lipetsk and Volgograd regions in the heavy bombardment, according to reports.
Ukraine's military also claimed earlier today to have destroyed a Russian fighter jet over Kursk.
The $30 million Su-34 aircraft was destroyed over night during a combat operation in the Russian border region, according to the General Staff.
It said on X, formerly Twitter: "Work to eliminate the occupiers, their equipment and weapons continues on an ongoing basis."
It comes as Ukraine's top commander claimed that 100 Russian prisoners of war have been apprehended in Kursk.
Oleksandr Syrskyi was seen providing an update to Volodymyr Zelensky via video link in footage shared on the Ukrainian president's social media.
President Zelensky said Kyiv's soldiers are still advancing in the border region, having pushed one to two kilometres in different directions since the start of the day on Wednesday.
He said that capturing servicemen in Russia will "accelerate the return of our guys and girls home".
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Meanwhile, in reaction to the attacks on its territory, Moscow is removing a portion of its troops from Ukraine, US officials told the Wall Street Journal.
They claimed Washington was still figuring out the importance of the decision and it was unknown how many troops were being withdrawn.
Why has Ukraine invaded Russia?
By Ellie Doughty
UKRAINE'S daring invasion into Russia has been launched for two key reasons - with one aimed at Putin and one at the West.
A high-ranking Ukrainian official told AFP that the idea behind the attack is to stretch Putin's armies as much as possible, spreading them thinly over different areas.
The security brass told AFP on condition of anonymity that "the aim is to stretch the positions of the enemy, to inflict maximum losses and to destabilise the situation in Russia as they are unable to protect their own border".
As well as acting as a huge morale-boosting win for Ukraine - the invasion also has a second key purpose in Kyiv's masterplan.
It is a message to allies in the West who have closely monitored Putin's war.
Military analyst Franz-Stefan Gady told The Washington Post: "This is definitely one consideration that it is really a signal to the West and to Ukrainian allies and partners that Ukraine is still capable of launching offensive operations.
"That Ukraine is capable of conducting fairly complex operations into enemy territory."
Vlad on the other hand claims Ukraine are simply trying to gain leverage for peace talk negotiations.