Russia vows revenge after Ukraine assaults

A screengrab taken from a video posted on the Telegram account of Mikhail Vedernikov, the governor of Russia’s Pskov area. Photo: HANDOUTTELEGRAM / @MV_007_PSKOV/ AFP

Ukrainian drones struck targets in not less than six areas deep inside Russia on Wednesday, together with an airfield the place they destroyed army transport planes, in one of many broadest volleys but of Kyiv’s marketing campaign to show the tables on Moscow.

Russian officers described assaults on targets within the Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow areas. The Russian overseas ministry stated the assaults would “not go unpunished” and the drones couldn’t have reached up to now into Russian territory with out Western assist.

In northern Russia, greater than 600 km from Ukraine, an enormous hearth erupted at a army airfield within the metropolis of Pskov, the place elite paratroopers are garrisoned. Tass news company reported not less than 4 big Il-76 transport planes have been broken, two of which had “burst into flames”.

The assaults coincided with Russia’s most extreme air strikes on Ukraine’s capital for months. Authorities in Kyiv reported not less than two folks had been killed as particles from intercepted missiles fell in 4 places.

Reuters captured footage of a fireball falling out of the night time sky near a grocery store, detonating in an enormous explosion that lit up close by house blocks. Moscow stated it hit command and intelligence targets.

In Russia, the governor of Pskov posted video on Telegram exhibiting an enormous hearth with the sounds of sirens and an explosion on the air base. Other video posted on-line confirmed anti-aircraft methods in motion across the metropolis, which is simply 32 km (20 miles) east of Russia’s border with NATO-member Estonia.

Moscow stated it had thwarted all of the assaults on Russia. Russia sometimes describes all Ukrainian drone strikes as unsuccessful, whatever the injury on the bottom.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Russia was understanding the place the drones have been launched from to stop additional strikes. President Vladimir Putin had been knowledgeable instantly, as can be the case in any such “massive attacks”, Peskov stated.

Kyiv confirmed the Russian planes had been destroyed in Pskov, with out commenting on the character of the incident. It usually withholds touch upon strikes on territory inside Russia although it says it has a proper to hit army targets.