KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥 Ukrainian officials claimed Friday they used a barrage of drones to destroy at least six military aircraft and badly damage eight others at an airfield in Russia鈥檚 Rostov region. Russian defense officials, however, claimed they intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones and that only a power substation was damaged in the attack.
The Associated Press could not independently verify either side鈥檚 claims.
The assault appeared to be one of Kyiv's biggest air attacks in , coming as its forces stepped up their assaults on Russian soil. Russia has also escalated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including , in recent weeks, signaling a new and potentially dangerous phase in the conflict as both sides struggle to achieve significant advances on the ground.
The overnight attack targeted a military airfield near Morozovsk in Russia and was conducted by Ukraine鈥檚 Security Service in cooperation with the army, Ukrainian intelligence officials told the AP.
They said around 20 members of the airfield鈥檚 personnel were killed or injured. Morozovsk airfield was used by Russian bombers that have been launching guided aerial bombs at Ukraine鈥檚 cities and frontline positions, the officials said.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the operation.
If true, the attack would be among Ukraine's most successful cross-border strikes. Last October, Ukraine claimed it at two airfields in Russian-occupied regions using longe-range ballistic missiles donated by the United States.
Last August, Ukrainian media, citing unidentified intelligence sources, claimed that drone attacks at air bases deep inside Russia.
In a conflicting version of events, Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry said a total of 44 drones were 鈥渋ntercepted and destroyed鈥 in the Morozovsky district, more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border. The attack damaged a power substation, Rostov Gov. Vasily Golubev said, adding that eight people near the airfield were injured.
Usually well-informed Russian military bloggers confirmed an attempted attack by Ukrainian drones on a military air base in Morozovsk but claimed there were no casualties at the base and no damage to warplanes.
The Russian defense ministry said nine more drones were intercepted over the border regions of Kursk, Belgorod, Krasnodar and the nearby Saratov region, bringing the total of attack drones deployed by Ukraine overnight to 53.
Drone warfare is a key feature of the war, which has extended into a third year since Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion of its neighbor. On the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, where fighting is largely bogged down, low-cost drones are used by both sides to knock out expensive military hardware.
The Kremlin鈥檚 forces have used large numbers of Iranian-designed Shahed drones to bombard urban areas of Ukraine. Kyiv, in turn, has developed a small but fast-growing defense industry where drones, including deadly , are proving effective.
Russian authorities have long of launching regular drone attacks on power plants, oil refineries and other targets in western regions of Russia near the border. Last month, Ukraine fired a barrage of at such targets, Russia said. Some attacks have reached , including Moscow and as far as 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) east of Ukraine.
Ukraine cannot match the scale of Russia鈥檚 military, however. Last week, Moscow launched a and missiles against Ukraine鈥檚 energy infrastructure, hitting regions across the country.
Meanwhile, Ukraine鈥檚 air force said it intercepted 13 Russian drones launched overnight at the southern regions of Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, but five missiles got through. Authorities did not report any casualties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a meeting with his top brass focused on the production of attack drones and the manufacture of electronic warfare equipment to intercept incoming drones.
He said late Thursday that the meeting put together 鈥渃lear written agreements with manufacturers, clear financing and clear delivery deadlines.鈥
Authorities will next turn to 鈥渞obust and increasing鈥 missile production, he said, as military support from Western partners falls short of what Kyiv hoped for.
Zelenskyy said an assessment of frontline positions found that Ukraine has 鈥渕anaged to stabilize our positions鈥 despite being outgunned and outnumbered by the Russian army.
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