Ukrainian army intelligence has admitted for the primary time that operatives in Russia have been behind an assault focusing on the Pskov airfield destroying 4 transport planes.

The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence's intelligence directorate Kyrylo Budanov clarified on Friday (September 1) that the Pskov assault, which concerned numerous drones, was carried out from inside Russian territory.

Ukraine's spymaster didn't provide any additional data on the kind of drones used or whether or not the operation was carried out by Ukrainian GUR members or partisan items working on Kyiv's orders.

Eyewitness experiences as many as ten or twenty drones attacked the airbase on Wednesday morning adopted by the sound of explosions and smoke.

The strikes reportedly left 4 IL-76 transport planes destroyed and others broken.

Budanov advised The War Zone: "We are working from the territory of Russia."

He went on to elucidate that the goal of the operation had been the plane's weak gas tanks and uncovered wing part.

The uncommon admission from Budanov is a break from Ukraine's regular coverage of sustaining silence round such assaults. There has been a lot hypothesis over the growing variety of assaults on Russia, a variety of which have come from contained in the nation.

Up thus far, it was unknown whether or not the assaults had been carried out by Kyiv forces or Russian rebels.

In complete, there have been greater than 190 suspected assaults in Russia and Crimea this yr, in accordance with BBC Verify.

The August 30 drone assaults got here as a part of a a lot wider wave that struck no less than six areas throughout Russia over the previous few months.

A drone assault in Belgorod on August 23 left three folks useless whereas one other suspected UAV strike hit an airbase south of St Petersburgh damaging a heavy Tupolev Tu-22 bomber.

Moscow has additionally seen a string of drone assaults with town's Expo Centre being struck together with the worldwide airport.

The most profile got here when a suspected Ukranian long-range drone exploded over one of many Kremlin's towers in what Russia claimed was an try to assassinate Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, Russian officers mentioned on Friday (September 1) that air defenses intercepted drones heading towards three of the nation’s western areas. Regional governors mentioned protection programs stopped three drones within the Kursk, Belgorod and Moscow areas.

Moscow airports briefly halted flights however no main harm or accidents had been reported, in accordance with Russian authorities.

The four-engine Il-76 is the workhorse of the Russian army’s airlift capability, capable of land and take off in rugged circumstances. The Russian army is believed to have over 100 of them in its fleet.

The Kremlin's forces have focused Ukraine with quite a few salvos of Iranian-made exploding drones within the struggle over the previous yr.