Moscow [Russia], August 30: The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on the airport in the city of Pskov in northwestern Russia damaged four military transport aircraft.
"The Ministry of Defense ( Russia ) is repelling a drone attack on Pskov airport," the governor of Pskov province, Mikhail Vedernikov, announced on Telegram at dawn on August 30, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. .
He said there were no casualties according to initial reports. According to Vedernikov, authorities have decided to cancel all flights at Pskov airport on August 30 until possible damage to the runway is clarified.
TASS news agency quoted emergency agencies as saying that four Il-76 transport planes , the main aircraft of the Russian military , were damaged at this military airport.
"As a result of the drone strike, four Il-76 aircraft were damaged. A fire broke out and two planes caught fire," TASS reported.
Video posted by Russian media showed thick black smoke rising at the airport, while locals said they heard explosions and gunfire.
Posts on Telegram channels say air defense systems are active around the city, which is located near the borders with Latvia and Estonia.
UAV attacks in Russia have increased in recent months, and Moscow says it is a Ukrainian terrorist plot. Kyiv has never publicly acknowledged attacking Russian territory.
TASS also reported that the airspace around Vnukovo airport in Moscow was briefly closed on the morning of August 30. The airport was later reopened to air traffic, though the reason for closing the airspace was not immediately clear.
In another development, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a plane of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed four high-speed military ships and landing groups of the Ukrainian army with a number of up to 50 people, in the Black Sea. at the beginning of August 30, according to RIA. Kyiv was not immediately available for comment.
Earlier on August 22, Russia also claimed that its aircraft destroyed two Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper