Photo by Russian Ministry of Defense/Anadolu via Getty Images
“The demilitarization of Russian military airfields will continue because the enemy should not feel at ease even on its own territory,” the source added.
The attack overnight marks the latest long-range Ukrainian strike on a key military installation deep inside Russia. Kyiv has targeted Russian aircraft, missiles, glide bombs, and other high-profile weaponry throughout this monthslong campaign.
In September, Ukraine struck several Russian ammunition depots in a string of drone attacks, causing extensive damage across multiple sites. Russia’s air defenses have been unable to defend against Kyiv’s deep strikes consistently.
Ukraine has relied heavily on domestically produced attack drones to carry out these deep-strike operations because it is restricted from using its arsenal of powerful, Western-provided missiles to hit military targets inside Russia.
Ukrainian officials have long pushed their counterparts in the West to drop these restrictions, arguing that the limitations are interfering with Kyiv’s ability to fight Russia effectively.