Massive drone attack on strategic targets in Russia. Disrupted air traffic

Among other things, the airport in Pskov, about 660 kilometers from Ukraine, near the border with Estonia, was attacked. The airport is used simultaneously by civil and military aviation. There was a series of explosions and a fire broke out.

As described by the Meduza portal, local residents reported hearing explosions and shots from automatic weapons. According to various sources, the airport was attacked by 10–20 drones, attempts were made to shoot them down with small arms. Shots of anti-aircraft defense can be seen and heard on the recordings published on the Internet. However, no alarm was declared in the city.

Damaged transport aircraft Il-76

According to preliminary data, four Il-76 military transport planes were damaged during the attack on the airport, the Meduza portal reported, citing rescue services and official information. According to the Russian TASS agency, two planes "went up in flames". Reports of burning planes were confirmed by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia.

According to reports, one of the drones crashed into the refueling complex at the airport, after which the fuel tank caught fire. The governor of the region Mikhail Vedernikov in a Telegram entry showed a pillar of fire over the city. Explosions can be heard in the recording.

Closed airport

The 334th military transport regiment, armed with Il-76 aircraft, is stationed at the Pskov airport. As the BBC wrote, according to some information, these are the stationing areas of the 2nd Special Forces Brigade of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU), which participated in the attack on Ukraine. Pskov's authorities have not yet confirmed this information.

The sky over Pskov, the region and the surrounding area is completely closed to aircraft flights, the Mash channel reported. The aviation services confirmed that the airspace over Pskov and the region is limited for the passage of aircraft. It has been confirmed that the airport will be closed on Wednesday. Interfax reported that "all eight passenger flights scheduled for Wednesday have been canceled after a nighttime drone attack."

According to independent Russian media, the target of the attack in Pskov could also be a fuel base located near the airport. According to another version, the drones were also supposed to attack a military base where soldiers who took part in the occupation of Bucha near Kyiv in 2022 are stationed.

Attacks in other precincts

According to Reuters, the night attacks also covered the Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov and Ryazan regions. The Crimean capital of Sevastopol, occupied by Russian forces, was attacked by drones from the sea. According to the Ukrainian portal ZN, the target of the attack was also the military airport in Tula.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the drone attack on Bryansk. The governor of the Bryansk region reported that three drones were shot down over the city and no one was injured. The Russian channel MASH on Telegram reported that one of the downed drones fell on the Kremnij EL factory, which is listed in the list of the largest Russian microelectronics enterprises. Channel Baza reported that drone debris led to a fire at the factory, but it has now been extinguished. The Russian section of the BBC, citing reports from local authorities, reported that the roof of the building of the regional Investigative Committee of Russia was damaged as a result of the attack.

Moscow also closes its airspace

Reuters reported that in connection with the attack on Pskov airport, Russia temporarily closed the airspace over Moscow's Vnukovo airport. ZN noted messages posted on the Russian Telegram channels that the authorities also had to close the airspace over Moscow's Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo airports.