Ukraine claims to have destroyed Russian plane in nighttime drone strike

Ukraine said on Friday it destroyed at least six Russian military aircraft at an air base in the southern Rostov region in an overnight drone strike.

Kiev launched one of its largest nighttime attacks in weeks, launching more than 50 drones into Russian territory, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

An attack on the Morozovsk air base in Russia’s southern Rostov region destroyed at least six Russian aircraft and “severely damaged eight others,” a security source in Kiev told AFP.

“This is an important special operation that will significantly reduce the combat potential of the Russians,” the source said, adding that the attack was carried out by the SBU security service and the military.

There was no immediate response from Russia and AFP was unable to verify the claims.

Russia said 44 of the 53 drones launched overnight from Kiev targeted the southern Rostov region, which borders Ukraine and is home to many major military locations, including its offensive command headquarters.

“On the night and morning of April 5, the Kiev regime attempted to launch multiple terrorist attacks using drones, but all were thwarted,” the Ministry of Defense said.

Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev said that a drone attack in the Morozovsk region where the air base is located caused “minor damage” to a power station, interrupting the power supply to about 600 residents.

He also reported that windows at an apartment building were blown out, but did not mention the Air Force base.

Russia rarely comments on Ukraine’s claims of successful attacks.

Strengthen air strikes

In recent months, Kiev has stepped up air strikes on Russian territory, targeting military sites and energy installations in an effort to disrupt the supply of fuel and equipment needed for a Russian invasion.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian drones struck a central region of Tatarstan – about 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) from the two countries’ shared border – in one of Ukraine’s worst attacks in its two-year war.

Kiev said the attacks hit a major oil refinery and a factory that assembles explosive drones.

Other Ukrainian drone strikes in the early hours of Friday targeted the Belgorod and Kursk border areas as well as Saratov and Krasnodar.

The governor of Saratov said a drone struck the city of Engels, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) from the border and home to a major Russian air base that had previously been attacked.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched five missiles and 13 drones into its territory at night.

Kiev said it shot down the 13 drones but made no mention of missiles targeting the northeastern region of Kharkiv.

Ukraine’s attack on Friday was also reported by Russian authorities in areas of Ukraine occupied by Moscow’s forces.

Moscow-appointed officials said five people were wounded, two of them seriously, in a drone strike in a Russian-controlled part of the southern Kherson region, and in an attack in Gorlivka in the eastern Donetsk region. Seven people were injured.

On the battlefield, Russian forces are seeking to gain advantage as Ukraine faces manpower and ammunition shortages due to delays in the delivery of Western aid.

Russian-appointed officials claimed that Moscow’s troops were advancing on Chasiv Yar, a town in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers with links to the armed forces both said on Friday that Russian troops had arrived on the outskirts of the town.