About 10 drones of Ukrainian armed forces attacked the Pskov airbase near Estonia in early hours of Wednesday morning. Four IL-76 transport aircrafts were damaged.
“The ministry of defence is repelling a drone attack on Pskov airport,” Pskov Governor Mikhail Vedernikov wrote on the Telegram messaging app. According to initial reports, he said, there were no injuries.
Tass news agency, quoting emergency services, said four Il-76 transport aircraft, long the workhorse of the Russian military, were damaged at the military airfield.
“As a result of the drone attack, four Il-76 aircraft were damaged. A fire broke out and two planes burst into flames,” Tass reported.
Videos posted by Russian media showed thick black smoke rising over the airport. They cited posts of local residents who heard explosions and gunfire.
Reports on Telegram channels said anti-aircraft systems were in action around the city.
Pskov is located roughly 800km (500 miles) from Ukraine’s border and the surrounding region borders EU member states Latvia and Estonia. The region of Pskov was previously targeted by drones in late May.
The airspace around Moscow’s Vnukovo airport was briefly closed early on Wednesday, Tass news agency quoted Russian aviation officials as saying.
In recent weeks Moscow and other Russian regions have been targeted by a barrage of Ukrainian drone attacks after Kyiv vowed this summer to “return” the conflict to Russia.
