Ukraine Launches Biggest Drone Attack On Russian Airfields (Video)

Ukrainian drones targeted four Russian airfields Wednesday in the largest such attack of the war, as Kyiv’s troops advance further into Russia following their surprise cross-border incursion that has left the Kremlin embarrassed and scrambling.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the military for the attacks, which he described as “precise, timely and effective,” in a video address released the same day he said Kyiv’s forces had captured Russian soldiers in southern Russia and destroyed a Russian fighter jet.

“Our Ukrainian drones work exactly as they should. Still, there are things that cannot be done with drones alone,” Zelensky said

A source in Ukraine’s security service told CNN it was the “biggest attack” on Russia’s airfields since the war began and targeted four bases in the southwest regions of Kursk and Voronezh, and Nizhny Novgorod, east of Moscow.

It comes as Ukraine’s massive ground incursion has forced tens of thousands of Russians from their homes and put Russia on the back foot as it struggles to repel Kyiv’s troops.

Russia’s defense ministry said Wednesday it destroyed 117 “aircraft-type” drones and four tactical missiles over Kursk and neighboring regions.

More than 35 Ukraine-launched drones were destroyed over Voronezh, its Gov. Aleksandr Gusev said Wednesday on Telegram.

While there were no casualties, the attack damaged properties, vehicles and municipal infrastructure, Gusev said, adding there was a risk of further drone attacks.

A statement by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Wednesday claimed that Ukraine’s Air Force “destroyed a Russian SU-34 fighter-bomber” in the Kursk region on Tuesday night.

In Belgorod, which neighbors Kursk, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov declared a regional emergency Wednesday, calling the situation on the ground “extremely difficult and tense” in a message on Telegram. Residents began evacuating Monday because of Ukrainian advances.

Regional authorities are now appealing to the Kremlin to declare a federal emergency, Gladkov said.